The Higher We Climb
by Silvyia
Summary: ((SI/OC)) A young girl wakes up in the deserts of Suna alone, confused, and having no memory whatsoever of who she is or where she comes from. Taken in by the Village Hidden in The Sand, she happens to come across a young boy alone, confused, and in need of a friend. Maybe she needed a friend too. ((Starts before canon, goes to AU as plot changes))
1. Waking Up

((Quick A/N! This chapter started out in third person view, mostly focusing on the main character. The time skip is in first person, and the rest of the chapter after that is in third person again. I hope this doesn't confuse you!

Hello and welcome to my Naruto story, The Higher We Climb! This is my personal OC-Insert Naruto fic. I tried to make this chapter kind of long, but left it off at a point I thought was good enough. (: If you have any questions, feel free to ask them! Make sure to leave reviews, too!))

* * *

If you asked a certain young woman, she'd tell you how great the sand was. She'd tell you how great it is to lay down under the hot sun and feel the grains move with every shift in your body, or how nice it is to take a nap in the warmth- in the shade, of course, you don't want to get sunburned- and wake up rejuvenated.

But she really thought that all of those warm, fuzzy memories could go to hell the moment she woke up, sand in her mouth and skin baked dry under the hot sun. She probably had a sunburn, too, if the burning under her skin was anything to go by.

Coughing was a bad idea. It made her lungs ache and her chest hurt. She tried to spit, but the best she could do was simply let the dry sand fall out of her mouth and onto the ground, which was, she noticed, even more sand.

She blinked once. That hurt her too, considering she had woken up face down and probably had sand in her eyes as well by now, taking her time to look around. Sand was everywhere. She bawled her hands into fists and rubbed her eyes, facing the ground as she tried to clear her eyes. When she pulled away, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Where the heck...?" She didn't bother finishing her own sentence. Her voice sounded small and weak, making her seem so _young_. It would be odd enough to speak her thoughts aloud, especially considering there was no one to listen to her in the first place. There was nobody around, not as far as she could see, though that perhaps didn't matter, considering her terrible eye sight. Where were her glasses, anyway? Why the hell was she in a desert? Or perhaps a beach, Hell if she knew where she was.

She certainly remembered where she was _supposed_ to be, though, and that definitely wasn't in the sand, desert or not.

The last thing she remembered was listening to music, studying for her high school finals. She was only slightly panicking at the idea of going through with the tests, but she certainly hated the idea of flunking even more than that. So, boring as it may be for her, she had been studying for hours on end, writing notes over and over- the easiest way for her to remember things was to write them several times- and softly singing along to a song called 'Stereo Heart'. By who, she couldn't really remember.

That was it. She had been inside her own, dark bedroom, wearing her thin rimmed blue glasses, mumbling lyrics under her breath as she wrote letter after letter repeatedly until she committed each sentence to memory.

She didn't even remember going to bed afterward. Studying was her last thought, before everything suddenly and inexplicably became dark.

Then she woke up in the sand, face down and in pain. Also with memory loss, apparently. Also apparently getting worse with each second, because she could have sworn she had just remembered being somewhere a second ago, but now her head just ached when she thought of it.

She remembered that last moment, right before the darkness came, and she remembered she was unhappy where she used to be. Other than that, nothing. What was her name? Who had she been? Who was she now? Hell, she didn't even know how old she was.

She sighs shakily, forcing down the cough that tried to make its way up into her chest and out her throat. The inside of her throat itched, and she wished nothing more than to scratch that annoying itch, but simply ignored the bugging feeling. Pushing herself up, she leans back on her knees, plopping down to rest her legs underneath her as she looked up at the sky.

It was dark out. Very dark.

It had to have been at least past 10 p.m., with how dark the sky was. The clouds were heavy and dark, and the girl almost thought that perhaps it would rain, but, no. It was a desert, it hardly ever rained. It simply looked dark and heavy due to the nighttime. The moon hid behind said dark and heavy looking clouds, making the world seem even darker than it possibly was already.

She just sat there. Her muscles ached. Everything ached, really. She was in a lot of pain, she was suddenly aware. Not only did her throat constrict with every cough she let out, her chest and lungs ached with every breath she took in and she could hear some kind of rattling inside her with every breath she let out. Her body was unbearably hot, even through the simple, off-white spaghetti strap and single pair of white shorts she wore. She wasn't wearing socks or shoes, or anything else, really. She was glad for the simple outfit, especially considering the environment she suddenly found herself in, even if there was seemingly no breeze to cool herself.

She didn't know how long she sat there, simply staring up at the sky, eyes open but not really seeing as the clouds floated by slowly, seemingly ignorant the strife she found herself in.

Ah, if only she could be a cloud. That'd be nice.

Suddenly, a feeling of a twitch began in her chest. Then, an itch. She breathed in deeply, trying not to urge the itch any further, but failing. She kneeled over herself as she tried to stave off on the coughing fit she knew would soon come. Her lungs and throat still hurt, and her mouth was as dry as ever. She let out a choked sound, placing her hands in the hot sand as she began coughing. Starting small, her coughing session got worse as her stomach clenched in response to her constant erratic coughing and forced, labored breathing.

This was hell.

A second of coughing passed, then another, then a minute, until eventually she was certain her face was blue from the choked, wheezing noises coming from her throat. She let out a single, last cough and spit flew from her lips into the sand as she gasped, trying to get her breathing back.

She licked her lips, trying to bring her breathing back down to normal.

Or, she would have, if she hadn't paused and her eyes flew open to witness the sand in front of her, wet. Wet with blood, _not spit_. She had coughed up blood, and a lot of it.

Just as she was about to think about how fucked up this situation was- waking up in a desert with amnesia and coughing up blood- she heard a noise. An odd noise- something akin to a shuffle, to her right.

She inhaled deeply, or as deep as she could without hurting her aching stomach and burning lungs, and saw the last thing that had been on her mind from the moment she had awoken in this strange place.

People.

People, and they were walking towards her. They also had a mule with them, but she wasn't going to judge, really.

She grinned, showing off her no-doubt-blood-stained teeth as she sat back on her legs.

People.

Fucking _people._

And they were coming for her.

She saw a few of them speed up their movements until they were in an all out sprint, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell forward, into the sand, and everything went black.

* * *

 _I watched from the side. Or from the ceiling, I couldn't tell, really. All I really know is that I was watching a girl and a man converse. What they were talking about, I don't really know._

 _I couldn't move, or speak. I could hear and smell, and, if there was anything to taste, I'm sure I would have tasted it. Probably. Maybe._

 _"..interesting..."_

 _He purred almost, interested in the young girl in front of him. She looked almost 15, 16 maybe. A man- no, not a man, a_ thing- _was here in front of the girl telling her that he was about to kill her and do the impossible, and all I could think was, 'wow, he sure does purr like a cat'._

 _Then he spoke again. He told the girl not to compare him to an animal. I was worried- scared, even. He grinned. He told the girl that she had a right to be scared. Was he talking to me? Could he hear me? He faces the young girl the entire time._

 _Then he told her he wanted her to know his name._

 _No, not yet. He hadn't told her his name yet._

 _He opened his mouth, about to say his name, when he stopped. Suddenly, the room went cold. He turns on his heel, almost as if he were in a hurry to do so, and stares._

 _He stares right into my eyes, and grins._

 _"There you are, Rae."_

 _And then I was dead._

* * *

The moment her eyes flew open, the woman sat upright in a heartbeat and _screamed_. She screamed as loud as she possibly could, for all but a split second before she slapped her hands over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks for some undisclosed reason.

She muffled her sobs- _why was she crying?_ \- behind her fingers as the door to her side flew open and hurried footsteps ran in beside her. She shakily looked toward the noises with her wide eyes.

Two men- at least she thought they were men, but she couldn't really tell as they were wearing a type of clothing that covered every part of their body but their eyes, and was rather baggy- looked at her in surprise and perhaps concern, but it was hard to tell. They took a step forward, and, as glad as she was to see another human being- _and not that monster_ \- every thought of human contact flew out the window as she screamed again, attempting to push herself backwards and off the bed.

She succeeded in getting off the bed, albeit rather roughly as she landed on her back and hit her head rather hard against the hard ground. She didn't waste a second in shouting,

"Get BACK! STAY _AWAY FROM ME_!"

They obviously could not take a hint, or perhaps they simply didn't care about the screaming woman pointing an accusatory finger at the two people as she scooted backwards on her hands and knees, for they simply held up their hands in a sign of surrender before they began taking small steps forward, attempting to stop her from moving or screaming any further.

Her vision blurred only slightly, spots of black and white flashing through her eyes as she moved further and further away, and she could only assume this was from hitting her head so hard against the floor. What was this floor made out of, anyway? It felt grainy, like sand, but hard and didn't mold under her fingers, as if each speck of sand had been carefully glued together to make a floor. She nearly laughed at the ridiculous thought, but then remembered the current issue.

She heard laughing, and she glowered at the two people in front of her, still making small moves toward her but still otherwise. She poured every ounce of hatred and venom into that glower. She was glad, and, admittedly, perhaps slightly amused when one of them lowered their eyes, too afraid to meet that venomous glare.

"Don't laugh at me!" She shouted at the offending men- _she was just going to assume that they were men, from their tall and bulky statures_ \- scooting back further, until her back collided with a wall.

"Sir, please! You're dehydrated and are experiencing hallucinations!"

 _Sir?_ Did they just call her a man _?_

Before she could even muster the correct amount of vulgar words to throw their way- _which was all of them, by the way, she was honestly planning on cursing them out with every single vulgar word she knew_ -, the door was thrown open and another man came walking in.

This man was... different, this was obvious.

He was not wearing the dull beige colored scrubs-like outfit the other two men wore that covered their entire body like fitted gloves. No, he did not look like some cosplayer who didn't know how to dress as a proper nurse- _what kind of nurse wears a dirty yellow that looks like dirty pee, rather than the usual sky blue, anyway?_ -, this man was obviously someone important, if the sudden stillness and the shift in temperature meant anything to her.

Which it did.

She stopped struggling the minute the man entered the room. There was an air of importance to him, it would surely be obvious even to a two year old. He took two large strides forward- _God, he was tall_ \- and was standing in front of the girl. His long, grey-blue robes with golden hems flowed behind him with his every step. He looked down at the girl, as if he pitied her.

The look sent shivers down her spine, and she decided she didn't like him.

She managed to bring her eyes up, looking right into his own dark, midnight blue eyes. His arms were crossed over his golden sash on his chest, and his eyes narrowed at her in something she couldn't really place. It both scared and kind of excited her. She hated it.

"Who are you?" She asked hesitantly, voice hardly even raised above a whisper. Her voice sounded odd in her own ears. Was it her own?

He made a face at her, as if disgusted by her very existence, and responded in a smooth and sultry voice, "I am Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage of Sunagakure. What is your name?"

She furrowed her brows. Rasa? Yondaime Kazekage? _Sunagakure_? They all sounded familiar to her, but she could not place them, just as she couldn't place her own memories of her past. She didn't know her own name, either.

"Where am I?" She asked, instead, opting to ignore his question. She didn't dare tear her eyes away from his own, however. They almost scared her to look into them for too long. They were dark, like voids. Empty.

They were beautiful.

Also, she kind of felt scared of what he might do if she showed disrespect.

"I told you before; you are in Sunagakure. What is your name?" He repeated the question. Sunagakure sounded familiar, sure, but it didn't sound like a place to her. She was certain she would have remembered a place like this; after all those hours spent studying the world's geological and physical attributes as well as the states and capitols of every country around the world. She could name all 50 states of America in under a minute, quite impressive if she does say so herself.

And considering how they seemed to be making up places, she kind of _was_ just saying so herself.

"What- where is that?" This time, she finally did break the stare. She looked around the room cautiously. It was rather dark in here, despite the cleanliness of the area. There was a single light hanging above the bed she had been resting on a moment ago.

She briefly heard one of the pee colored nurses telling the man before her that she was having serious mental problems, although she could only hear the world 'hallucinatory' and 'probable disassociation'.

"Look at me," a voice spoke before her. She almost had to do a double take to realize it was the same man as before; the one with the beautiful eyes. He was crouching in front of her, resting his elbows on the tops of his knees as he kept his gaze locked onto hers.

"Do you know where you are?" He asked softly. So softly, in fact, that she really had trouble believing it was the same man as before. He had been so confident and entirely certain of himself, there was an air of authority and command around him. She felt small under his gaze- _both metaphorically and literally, she realizes, she does feel rather small, as if she is physically younger than her mind is_ -, now, however, his eyes were softer. Instead of feeling small and weak under his gaze, he looked at her as if they were equals. She almost believed it.

"Suna... whatever you said..." She mumbled, hugging her knees up to her chest and placing her hands atop her knees.

He looked at her in pity.

"Sunagakure," he corrected her patiently.

"Yeah."

"Do you know who you are? Your name?"

She slowly shook her head 'no', mumbling under her breath, "No, I-I don't know..." The man lifted his head slightly, making some noise of acknowledgement in the back of his throat. His eyes looked less like dark voids and more like the deep ends of the pool. She liked the water.

Then she remembered that dream- if you could call it that. The man, the scary man who was talking to a girl. The man had turned to her and called her by a name. That had to be her name, right?

"Ahh," she hummed. "Rae...?" She asked, hesitant.

"Your name?" He asked.

She paused, then nodded, hesitant at first but gaining confidence slightly. "Yes. My name is Rae." She was pretty sure her name wasn't actually Rae, but it was something to go by for now. Maybe she'd find out what it really was later on.

He shifted on his heels slightly, most likely attempting to get in a comfortable enough position so his feet wouldn't fall asleep. His position doesn't look very comfortable, either. His knees must hurt.

" _Hajimemashite_ , Rae-San. My name is Rasa, of The Desert."

She ignored the oddly familiar sounding word he had mentioned in another language. Rae _-San_? She was fairly certain she had only said Rae. Also, 'of The Desert' sounded more like a title than a name.

And it sounded familiar.

She nodded once, mumbling his name under her breath as if to convince herself of him. " _Rasa_."

With a single nod, he stood up from his uncomfortable looking position, standing to his full height- _which was still tall as hell, by the way_ \- and stared down at her again.

This time, he offered her a hand.

She stared up at the appendage, before slowly, ever so slowly, untangling herself and reaching up to grasp at it softly. He wrapped his fingers around her hand- _which was smaller than she remembered, but then again she can't really remember anything_ \- and pulled her up with ease. She gasped quietly when he did so, both helping her up and subtly showing off his strength in a silent message.

What that message was, she didn't wish to find out.

He let go of her hand, and she vaguely missed the warmth, before turning around and walking off, not even bothering to turn as he spoke to the pee nurses once more,

"Treat him kindly," _'her', you handsome dipshit,_ "He is a wounded patient, not a prisoner."

The two nurses stand at attention, except without bringing their hands to their heads in a solute, and shouted something akin to a "hi" quickly. He nodded once, glanced back at her- _at Rae_ \- and walked out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

"...and then there were three," she mumbled under her breath. The two men turned to look at her. One of them scowled while the other sighed dejectedly. She shrugged, as if that would help any one of them. She knew it didn't really help, anyway, though.

" _Rae-San_ ," one of the nurses- or doctors, she didn't really know- spoke up, taking a hesitant step toward her. She took a step back. The one trying to approach her slapped his hand against his forehead, groaning a muffled cry of outrage behind his hand. Considering how he was also the one to glare after the man from before- _Sara? Hasa? Rasa! Yeah, yeah it was Rasa_ \- had left the room, we'll decide to call him _Happy._

She could laugh at the irony, really.

The second man sighed sympathetically, lowering his deep brown eyes to glance at the girl. She was really kind of uncomfortable because of how short she was. She may not remember much from her past, or anything really, but she certainly didn't think being this small was normal for an adult. She thinks she was an adult, or maybe supposed to be one? She couldn't think straight.

She'll call this guy Leo, simply for the lack of a better name.

Happy and Leo.

"Rae-san," Leo interjected in a much kinder tone than Happy had been using a moment ago. "We need to take a look at your injuries."

The girl stood still for a moment. She carefully thought this through.

On the one hand, Leo was seemingly kind, and had pretty brown eyes, like melted chocolate. He was kind enough to not force her anywhere, and he was probably trustworthy. Maybe.

On the other hand, Happy was a jerk. Period.

After thinking it through (not so) clearly, Rae took a few steps forward, specifically towards Leo. They must have noticed this somewhere halfway through the third step, as Leo reached a single hand forward to welcome her as Happy crossed his arms, practically staring daggers at the girl. Rae reached forward, grabbing onto the kinder man's sleeve of his shoulder. It was really starting to bother not knowing how old she was, considering her arm couldn't reach any higher than his shoulder.

"How old am I?"

The two men were obviously not expecting that question. Leo did nothing but blink at the sudden question's appearance. Happy's glare lessened, if only by a slight fraction, and he, too, blinked at the question.

"W-well, ah," Leo spoke up, crossing his arms and placing his hand to his chin, "we could do a blood test, and run it through our databases. I mean, not only would that tell us your age, but also any possible known relatives- if we have them here, that is."

Rae glanced around. "If you have them here?"

"If we have them here," Happy nodded once. "If they're not in Sunagakure, then we don't have them in our system. If we don't have them in our system, then we can't locate them. You'd have to search in another village for them, if that was the case."

Rae made a noise, strangled between a, "ooohhh," and a questioning sound nobody could really place their fingers on. It conveyed her confusing thoughts and emotions pretty damn well, in her opinion.

"..I don't think they're here. I've never been here before," Rae mumbled, hardly above a whisper as she thought aloud. "...at least I don't think so."

Leo nodded.

"Memory loss. It's alright, your memories should come to you soon."

Rae nodded.

"Okay."

* * *

An hour and a half later, the medics, which Rae had learned that they had actual names other than 'Happy' and 'Leo', would let her out of the hospital, as long as she had someone to watch over her as she was walking about.

Although, while on the topic of Happy and Leo, she had learned quite a bit about them. Not only did they have actual faces underneath those pee colored _tarps_ that they wore, but they also had pretty cool personalities- and were kind of cute.

Happy was already her favorite person to mess with, it's official. Leo had a weakness for young kids, so he always gave into whatever she had asked of him.

..And that was the next topic.

They did the blood test, safely and securely. As expected, they did not find any blood relatives in Sunagakure. They did, however, depict her age- and gender, by the way. They had immediately apologized after finding out she was actually a girl. Or, rather, Leo did. Happy just grumbled about the way she looked like a boy.

It was also that comment that had urged her to ask for a mirror, since she could not even remember what she had looked like.

They granted this wish to her.

So here she stood, in front of a full, body length mirror.

The first thing she had noticed was her hair. She huffed as she figured out that Happy was, in fact, correct- she did resemble a little boy.

She had been told she was roughly 9 years old, as they didn't have her exact time of birth or day. She had decided that, until she found out for certain, her birthday would be August 12th, the day they found her in the sand(she hadn't found out until later that she had been unconscious for a full two days. She honestly had to wonder how they hadn't bothered to figure out her actual gender in that time).

She furrowed her brows, ruffling her pale, skinny hand through her short, messy cut white hair. As expected, it was dirty and filled with sand- her hair alone could be another desert, she had joked. Happy didn't find it funny. Leo did.

She looked into her own eyes. Were they her own? No, impossible. They were too beautiful to be her own.

Her eyes were a vibrant blue, but had shades of red mixed in, making almost a mixture of purple in her eyes. They were beautiful, and she swears she could get lost in her own eyes.

Leo had told her that she was underweight. This, she could see fairly quickly, actually. She was taller than most kids her age, as she was around the age of 9, but she looked almost 11. This could both help her and cause problems in the future for her, she could only assume. She was also incredibly skinny, as she had been warned from Leo. She could practically see her bones peeking out from underneath her skin, and it almost disgusted her. She liked to be thin, sure, every girl did, but not unhealthily so.

Leo left to grab her some hospital food a while ago. Currently she sat on the same table she had awoken in, with Happy as her only company.

He was asking her a lot of questions, and checking something off on his check board after every answer.

"No last name?" He would ask.

"Not that I remember," She would answer. He scratched something down.

"Family- nevermind," he mumbled the last part. She assumed he was about to ask about family members.

He asked a lot of questions. Most of her answers were something along the lines of, "I don't remember" or, "Not that I know of."

Leo returns with food later on.

"Thanks, Leo," she mumbled. She had had a hard time speaking up loudly, perhaps from dehydration, perhaps shyness. The two men had yet to figure out what it was, and so had she.

Leo tsked, placing a tanned hand atop the girl's head and ruffling up her hair worse than it already was(which was kind of impossible).

"I told you already, Rae-San, my name is Eiji Takechi."

Happy spoke up from behind him, "And if you have yet to remember the names, then keep in mind I am not _'Happy'_ ," _obviously not_ , "I am Ryuu Seiji."

Rae hummed as she shoveled food into her mouth in a very unladylike manner. She didn't really care at the moment.

"How come your names are so similar? Your first and last ones, I mean," she spoke up, food half chewed and half swallowed as she looked between the two. They, or rather _Leo_ , had explained already the use of saying their first names last, and last names first. Or, they didn't explain their use, just that that's what they do, and that's what she should do, too. Until they realized she didn't have a last name in the first place- which kind of made her sad, which made Leo sad for _making_ her sad, and made Happy pissed because everyone else was sad.

She's hardly spent a conscious day with them, but she loved them already.

Really.


	2. Meeting The Demon

((Alright, so, I used to write in first person's view in a lot of my older stories, but I'm trying to write this in third person most of the time(occasionally I'll write in first person to explain thoughts or delve deeper into somebody's mind, like I did with Rae in chapter one), so if you see me slipping from third person to first person from time to time, make sure to tell me and I'll get it fixed! Other than that, thank you for the favorites and follows I got from that last chapter alone, they made me smile.

Also, for anyone who read the last chapter already, I want to warn you that I changed her age for plot reasons. I want her to be older than Gaara, but not too much older. Originally I was planning on her being roughly 16, but now I've decided that while she was 16 in her old life, here in Naruto world she is 9 years old.

This chapter is over 5,300 words long! Woo! Go me!

Enjoy the chapter! There are responses to reviews at the bottom!))

* * *

It was nearly five days before she was let out of that insufferable room.

Leo and Happy, as Rae would forever refer to them as despite their true names, wouldn't let the girl anywhere out of their sights the entire time. She saw plenty of other nurses and doctors walking about, and in those three days a lot of other people came by often. Most often than not, they were wounded people, but a few just came by to drop of packages or even say hello to any of the wounded.

Rae really had nothing to do the entire time, too. Leo stressed about the fact that she was still too weak to go anywhere or do anything other than lie in bed all day. She ate three meals a day, of course, but found out to be still skinnier than she should be at her age, as well as the fact that she could hardly eat more than a few bites before feeling full. Leo had said something about being starved, possibly almost to death.

Now, Rae was no genius, that's for sure, but she knows the signs of abuse. A nine year old, starving, dehydrated, and having bruises across their body? And then, of course, there's the fact that she had been out in the middle of nowhere when they'd found her.

Leo and Happy never spoke about it, but Rae thinks they knew it, too.

As per the usual sitting about and doing nothing, she requested books, something to do in her free time- which was all the time. Leo was more than happy to oblige, and while Happy did occasionally drop something off, he was mostly just working with other patients. Rae have to admit, she was feeling a little bit jealous that Happy was spending all of his time with the other people.

Then again, he is a medic, and that's what medics do. They heal people, and these people certainly needed healing. They were all severely wounded, bleeding and crying out and some of them were even unconscious when they arrived, and she had even heard about a few deaths here and there.

Rae had been excited, after the initial confusion and fright, to learn about this place she had found herself in. She soon after find out that she loved the sand and heat, apparently. This place had all of that and more.

But then she began to hear the rumors.

" _A monster_ ," one of the wounded had whispered, hands cupped around her mouth as if that would silence her words to others. The two beds around them had agreed, nodding their heads dramatically as they looked at each other, frightened. They looked like children. They couldn't be any older than her. In fact, they looked almost younger than her.

A monster? There was a monster, here?

Rae leaned forward on her bed, as if it would help her hear them whisper among each other.

" _It's dangerous! We can't play there, anymore._ "

She blinked. A dangerous monster?

"E-excuse me," Rae spoke, although her words were nothing more than a hoarse whisper due to lack of use. The only people she had spoken to during her stay here was the two doctors she had befriended, and that was only whenever they had the time to stop and come by her, considering how much work they had.

She coughed, cleared her throat, and asked again, "Excuse me."

The three conversing children paused in their chattering, turning to glance at the person who had spoken up. With all three pairs of eyes on her, Rae couldn't help the shy blush that coated her cheeks. She had gotten used to sitting alone all day, keeping to herself. People actually paying attention to her was new.

"W-who, uh, what are you talking about?" All of a sudden, their faces lit up, recognizing the fact that she had no idea who this 'monster' was. They all leaned forward on their beds, wincing as their wounds were jostled, and began explaining all at once.

"You don't know about the monster?"

"The monster of Sunagakure, of course!"

"The sand demon!"

Rae blinked, looking at all three of them, confused. "W-what?"

The three children sighed, then the middle child, which seemed to be their 'leader' of sorts, spoke up alone.

"The Demon of The Sand is a monster that attacks other children! Sometimes even adults! The monster kills just for fun, and has hurt a lot of people since it appeared. We thought it was just a myth, until we came across it a while ago. We got hurt, and-and our friends..." she paused there, leaning back with a dejected look. Tears sprang in her brown eyes, and Rae stifled a gasp at what she meant.

"It sounds scary," Rae whispered. The other children nodded.

"It's a beast, with no heart!"

"And no soul!"

Rae leans back, looking down at her hands. The place sounded cool, and she had been so excited to leave the hospital to go exploring her apparent new home, but now, she wasn't entirely sure. The girls, realizing their explanation was complete, leaned back to continue whispering with each other. Rae didn't bother trying to eavesdrop this time.

She fiddled with the bandages wrapped around her arms. The injuries on her arms hadn't been too bad. There was a bit of burned and cuffed skin from being tossed out in the desert with no water for God knows how long, as well as a few cuts and bruises. The wounds itself did not hurt her, just gave off a dull ache, unless someone touched them. That was one of the main reason she had avoided other people.

Suddenly, the door to her side opened up, a familiar face smiling down at her as he stepped inside the room. Leo shut the door behind him.

"Ne, Rae-chan, it's time for you to be released." Leo had taken to calling her '-chan' a little while after she woke up. After asking what it had meant, he spent almost an hour and a half explaining the use of honorifics. She was glad to be called a close friend of his, even if it is through an odd sounding suffix at the end of her name. She had called him 'Leo-chan' once, and he didn't even bother scolding her for getting his name wrong yet again, instead opting to coo over how adorable she was. The honorifics didn't really stick with her, though, and she simply called them by their names- or, rather, by their names that she had given them.

"Ah," she hummed, moving to remove the blankets from her legs- also bandaged, for the same reason as her arms. She wobbled only slightly as she stood, but quickly gained her ground, standing up to her full height... which wasn't very tall.

"Where do I go?" She asked, following the taller man out the door. Leo looked back at the young girl, giving a pleasant smile as he continued walking down the long corridor with her.

"The Yondaime Kazekage recognizes your, er, memory issues, and was kind enough to grant you a hotel room for a while. He's hoping your memories will come back in time, and then you can go to wherever you lived before."

Rae looked toward the front desk, the woman there giving her an uninterested glance before going back to the paper in front of her. She huffed. Why was everyone here so rude, or disinterested?

Except Leo, of course.

Her eyes lowered to the ground, and she furrowed her brows as she thought.

"But... what if I don't get my memories back? O-or what if I don't have a place to live?" _Or family to go to?_ She didn't dare speak the last question on her mind, though.

And Leo didn't answer.

* * *

Rae's first time out and about in Suna was probably one of the best experiences of her life- at least, the best out of the ones she could remember, that is. The sand was warm under her feet, even if the open toed sandals she wore would only allow the tips of her feet to touch them, it was still rather nice. The sun was bright and warmed her face, and she smiled at the sound of people conversing around the stalls, which seemed to be selling a multitude of items, food, and furniture alike. She saw one stall selling what looked like sand, but bright and glittery, like gold.

She was reminded of the man she met in the beginning of her time here, when she first woke up.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing a single pale finger at the glittery sand. Leo hummed as he looked at the item. His face lit up with recognition.

"Oh! That's gold sand! The Kazekage occasionally puts some out on the market. It's pretty rare, though, so I'm surprised to see it here, now."

"Ah," she glances at the sand once more, before turning toward her current companion. "Is the hotel nice?"

It took him a moment to register what she had asked, and another to recognize what she meant.

"Oh! Yes, they are! They're not the nicest in the world, of course, but it's a very beautiful area."

"Okay." She smiled. She liked the idea of seeing more of this beautiful place. Then her conversation with the girls from before came to mind, and she frowned, a clear sheet of fear crossing over her features. Leo noticed.

"What is it, Rae-chan?"

She fiddled with the hem of her hospital outfit, a simple light beige, long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of khaki pants, the same color as the shirt. She was still wearing her original outfit underneath, except for her white shorts, which she honestly had no idea where they had went. Her off white shirt was still there, however.

"Th-there was some kids in the hospital, in the same room as me, y'know?" She mumbled. She worried that perhaps she was being too quiet for Leo to hear her, but he simply nodded for her to continue. They stopped in front of a building, not very large but not small, and Rae assumed this is where she'd be staying. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter first. She stepped forward, still thinking on how to properly word her sentence.

"They said there was a... a demon, or a monster, running around killing kids." She looked up at him, hoping for him to tell her more of this myth, to perhaps dispel her fears.

He only sighed, exasperated, as if he's heard this thousands of times before. It only scared her further. Exactly how often was the topic of a sand demon brought up around here?

"Listen, Rae-chan," Leo spoke quietly, taking a step closer to talk in whispers. She leaned in. "There's a person around here... He's dangerous, and I advise you stay away from him at all times. I don't want you getting hurt, again, all right?"

Rae blinked. She nods slowly, once, and Leo smiles before turning and leaving.

A person? She had been told there was a monster, or a demon, lurking around, killing children. Now he says it's just a dangerous person? Still, monster or person, she wasn't certain she'd be able to hold her own against whatever or whoever they were, so she'd listen, and stay away from them.

...she probably should have asked what this person looked like before Leo left.

* * *

Rae sighed, flopping down belly first onto her new mattress. Leo had been right- this place wasn't too pretty on the inside, she could even see the dust coating the pieces of furniture in her new abode, but the area it lay in was beautiful. It was vast and practically empty on the other side of the building, nothing but sand for a few yards before more buildings popped up. It would be a great place to play with friends, if she ever made any.

After Leo had left her with those last few words, she had wandered around for a while. A worker, seeing her walk about aimlessly with hospital getup, had wrongly assumed that she was a runaway from the hospital.

 _"Excuse me, child, aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?" a young man asked, walking up to grab her and bring her back to the medics. Rae took a quick step back before the man could touch her arms, and stumbled through a quick explanation._

 _"N-no! I just got out of the hospital!"_

 _He sent her a disbelieving look. He probably got that excuse often. "Right. We need to get you back to the medics, before you hurt yourself, kid." He made a move to grab her again, this time successful in doing so. She winced, biting down on her tongue to stop from crying out or yanking her arm away from the man- that would only make it worse, seeming as if she was trying to run away._

 _"Eh? Wait- I have a room here!"_

 _He paused at that. "You do?"_

 _"Yeah! The Ka-kaze-" she paused, trying to remember the word, "the Kazekage gave me a room here."_

 _He blinked, then stood up straighter with a recognition of, "Oh! You're the girl we're supposed to serve?"_

 _Serve? They were to serve her?_

 _"I-I think so..."_

 _The man bowed immediately, getting down on his knees, shouting, "I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me!"_

 _She gasped, taking a step back at the sudden movement. What was he doing? He had his arms out in front of him and his forehead was touching the ground._

 _"I, uh, I'm not mad at you, or anything!"_

And after that, the man had offered her food and water- which she gratefully accepted. Since she had been eating everyday, she had gotten used to eating fuller amounts of food. She only ate a simple fruit, though(he called it a Mangosteen, which she had no idea what it was, but it was delicious) and drank a cup of water. Then, he had showed her to her room, and offered her a change of clothes as well as a bag. He left when she entered her room.

The change of clothing was roughly her size, although a bit bigger to where the shirt reached to her fingertips, and she had to fold the ends of the pants so it wouldn't touch the ground as she walked. There was also a role of gauze, and bandages as well as a few other medical items for her, inside the bag she was given. Other than that, she had nothing else.

First thing's first- she took a shower.

She had, apparently, not been washed when she was in the hospital, unconscious. While she was very grateful, she was also confused. Wasn't that a thing people were supposed to do? To wash the person who was hurt, so they don't stink up, but also so their cuts and wounds don't get infected? Oh well. She took a long, lukewarm shower. She had originally wanted to take a hot shower, but as much as she loved the heat, it was hot enough outside. Cold was too much, though, so she simply left the water to heat up somewhere in between the two.

She had taken a long time to simply look into the mirror. Now that she was clean, she could actually see herself better.

Her skin was still pale as ever, that's for sure. She had a feeling that living in a place like this, where it was sunny and hot all the time, she'd probably get a natural tan at some point. That is, if she ever went outside.

She scoffed, running her hands through her short hair. She really did look like a boy, as her features weren't specifically feminine, and her voice wasn't too high pitched, either. Certainly not low enough for her to be embarrassed about it, but still. She should probably grow out her hair.

She traced the ends of her bangs to her forward, down over her eyes- which she still thought was impossibly pretty- and down to her freckled cheeks. She had freckles, which was adorable, in her opinion. They were light, but they stood out against her pale skin.

After her few minutes of looking at her own reflection, she had changed into her new outfit. The shirt was a dark grey, and the pants were a plain black. While she detested wearing such dark colors- she liked the brighter colors- she was grateful for the new, clean clothing. Even if they were slightly too large for her.

So now, here she lay, face down on her new mattress, watching the sun filter in through the curtains, the dust particles dancing in the golden light. It was almost pretty, actually, if you ignored the fact that those particles meant the place was dirty and probably needed a good cleaning. She would have to clean it at some point or another.

 _But_ , she mused, her eyes closing slowly, _right now is a good time as any for a good nap_.

And with that, she closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to claim her subconscious as she fell asleep.

* * *

She didn't dream.

She couldn't tell if this was a good thing or not, considering the last time she 'dreamed', was with the girl and the man who called her Rae. She didn't want another dream of him. If that's what dreaming meant, she didn't want to sleep anymore.

By the time she woke up, it was darker than it was before, but not dark enough to where kids would need to be getting inside. She didn't know the time, or how long she was asleep, but she decided against spending the rest of her time in here.

Standing up, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, yawned, and stretched. She felt odd, waking up alone. Every time she had woken up in the past five days, she had been surrounded by others, even if she woke up before the others and was the only one up. At least Leo and Happy had been there with her the entire time. Waking up to an otherwise empty room, with no hushed talking or the laughing of gossiping nurse, was odd, and, in a way, scary.

She decided she didn't like it- this silence. She doesn't like how it reminded her of being alone. She didn't like being alone.

So, she got up, dusted herself off from the dirt of her bed sheets(she'd have to clean this, too), and made her way out of her room. She paused at the doorway, her hand on the handle, and glanced to the side, at the nightstand. Her bag. The bag that she had been given earlier. Should she take it with her? She could collect pretty rocks or something.

She grins, running over to collect the bag, slinging the single strap over her shoulder. Her room was too bare, she would definitely collect some pretty things to decorate it.

She turned, walking out of the room as she rolled up the sleeves of her grey shirt to her elbows, closing the door behind her. She would lock it, but she didn't have a key, and the door didn't even _have_ a lock on it! Plus, she wasn't entirely certain the people here would steal anything.

Also she didn't _have anything_ _to steal_.

So all in all, she was sure she would be fine.

She smiled and ran down the halls, down the stairs, and past the front desk(although, admittedly, she did slow to a casual walk when the man at the front desk glared at her. She knew the rule; no running). Once out the door, she walked around for a while. She had no friends here, unless you count Leo and Happy, which she did but they were both busy with work. Maybe she would visit them sometimes? Oh! Perhaps she could give them pretty things, too! She was sure Leo would love them. Happy might not, but she'd get something for him, too, anyway.

She hummed as she walked through the streets, looking left and right curiously.

There was nothing around except for people and buildings. She didn't spot anything shiny or pretty, not even a single shard of glass in the sand. Of course, she wouldn't have picked up any glass shards if she had found it(unless it was really pretty glass), but she didn't expect the sand here to be so, well, _clean_. She was sure there would be some litter or trash somewhere- but, no. She found nothing of the sort.

She looked up at the sky, wondering how long it would take her to find something neat.

Not too long...

..right?

Nearly thirty minutes later, Rae sighed as she walked, taking slow steps. Her feet ached a bit. She wasn't used to walking around for so long, especially not on her bruised feet. She needed to find somewhere to sit for a while, preferably in the shade somewhere, too.

Yet as she walked forward, she noticed something. A light. Through the buildings, she spotted something shining in the sun. She blinked, then grinned, and ran after the light, weaving in between buildings and people as she chased it. She ignored her aching feet, too giddy to care about it at the moment.

As she rounded a corner, she stopped in her tracks, her feet kicking up sand as she paused, staring at the sight before her.

A swing set.

The light that she saw had been the sun shining off the rusty swings. There were only four swings in total, and two of them were made for toddlers, as seen in the buckles and holes for the children's feet to go through, and the other two were made for anyone older than that.

One of them were taken.

A little boy, small and fragile looking, sat alone on the swing set, swinging back and forth slowly, only giving a kick to the sand to push himself higher every now and then. He looked so lonely. Her heart nearly broke at the sight, but she held herself together.

Until she heard the sobbing. He cried to himself silently, his shoulders shaking as he gripped onto the chains to the side of him with both hands, head lowered, his tears fell into the sand below him. Then her heart really did break at the sight.

"E-excuse me...?" She spoke up cautiously. The boy jumped, fingers tightening on the chains of the swing as he lifted his head quickly, glancing around himself protectively. When his eyes landed on her, she bit her lip to stop herself from going over and hugging him right there. His red hair swayed with each movement, and his cerulean blue eyes were wide in what she could only assume was fright and confusion. The black around his eyes looked as if they were makeup, or possible insomnia marks, but she wasn't entirely sure. He was still crying, and he sniffled every now and then.

He was so _small_ , and so _sad_.

"Excuse me," she tried again, taking a step forward. She didn't notice the sand shifting between the two of them, even though nobody had touched it. She took a few more steps forward- small steps, as she didn't want to frighten the boy. He looked to be around four or five. Something this cute shouldn't be crying alone on a rusty swing set in the middle of nowhere. _Alone_.

"Are you okay?" She asked, stopping about a four meters away from the boy. He sniffled again, and brought one hand from the chains to wipe his tears.

"Y-you shouldn't g-get too clo-close," he mumbled, barely audible from where she was standing. He hiccuped, and his sobs were breaking up his sentences, but she didn't care. Well, no, okay, she did care. Her heart was shattered and she wanted nothing more than to wrap him up in blankets and hug and kiss him and tell him everything was okay.

"Why not?" She asked, taking another step. This time she did notice the sand shifting, but wrote it off as nothing more than the wind(in her heart, though, she knew this wasn't true. There was no breeze. She just didn't want to know why sand was moving on its' own).

He paused in wiping his tears, lowering his hand as he looked at her in surprise. Tears continued to fall as he looked at her with wide, blue eyes.

"I'm dangerous," he whispered, as if she should already know this. Dangerous? This little boy was considered dangerous? Surely this couldn't be the 'he' that Leo had been referring to?

"You're a kid," she spoke in a tone as if she were correcting him. She took another step forward, and this time, the sand began to rise around him. She was about three feet away by the time the sand began inching up, off of the ground, as if it were a snake dancing to a tune, shifting and turning as a few grains fell every now and then.

He narrowed his eyes at her, although she suspected it was more in confusion than suspicion.

"Who a-are you?"

She took another step. The sand raised higher. She pretended not to notice it, or, rather, she ignored it. She was entirely certain he already knew she had noticed it. As weird, and, if she's being honest, _cool_ it was to see sand acting of its own accord, she was trying to comfort a crying kid that should be smiling right now. He's too cute to cry.

She smiled. "My name is Rae. What's your name?" She was now two feet in front of him, close enough where he had to look up to look at her, and if she wanted to, she could probably reach out and wipe away at his tears, or pat his head and tuck his hair behind his ears. She wanted to, really.

He hesitated for a moment, then answered, "Gaara."

She grinned, speaking excitably, "Well, it's nice to meet you Gaara! Why are you-" she reached her hand forward, offering it to him to shake hands.

Or, she tried to.

She got as far as lifting her hand a few inches before the sand shot forward, first encompassing her hand, then her entire arm. She could only catch a quick glance of the sand shooting toward her chest before she suddenly had trouble breathing. She shut her eyes in pain, attempting to inhale, but her chest felt constricted and shut off. She felt something grazing against her back, tearing through her grey shirt until it scratched up her back.

After a moment, everything stopped moving, and she could finally breath again. She inhaled sharply, filling her lungs until they ached from expanding too far. She opened her eyes, staring up at the sky with wide blue and red speckled eyes. Her mouth was open, but she didn't speak. Her chest hurt. Her arms hurt. Her feet hurt. Her back hurt.

Everything _hurt_.

She didn't move. She didn't speak. She was aware of the fact that she couldn't hear anything, either. Her hearing came back as a high pitched buzzing noise, then it got quieter until she could hear slightly better again. There was a wetness in one of them, and she hoped she wasn't bleeding.

She felt tears spring to her eyes, and she was vaguely aware of the fact that she was crying out, now.

Oh, wait, no- that was Gaara. Gaara was crying out at her, apologizing over and over.

She struggled to get her breathing in check, but she managed. Once she could breath almost normally(breaths were still coming quick and panicked), she pushed herself up to her elbows, then up further to rest against her legs. She was almost two yards away from the boy, now. Gaara was standing now, his face planted firmly in both of his hands as he shook violently and let out loud, heart-wrenching sobs. Sand was shifting around him fast and viciously, lashing out at random times as if it were angered by something. His legs shook, and he looked just about ready to collapse.

She coughed, bending forward to cover her mouth. She pulled them away, and was only slightly surprised to see blood. It certainly wasn't as much as the first time she had coughed up blood, so she wasn't panicked about it, but it certainly _hurt_ as all hell. She looked up again, aching all over, and realized that her shirt had torn up in the back. From that, and the fact that she was much, _much_ further from the boy that she had been just a second ago, she assumed she was probably pushed back, and had skidded to a stop on her back. Her shirt tore open, and she was fairly certain her back was bleeding. Probably badly, too.

So this was why he was dangerous. He was called a monster because of the sand.

Gaara began coughing, choking on his own spit as he cried harder, vicious sobs wracking his body until he shook hard enough to fall on his knees. He still held his face in his hands, not daring to look at her. He didn't see her shakily get to her knees. He didn't see her place one foot under the other and stand up, every part of her body aching and burning hotter than lava. He didn't see her take a step forward, and he certainly didn't see her hold out a hand to him, as if telling him to stop crying.

"H-hey," she spoke, voice hoarse. She swallowed the taste of metal, taking another step forward. She stopped the split second she saw the sand shift in her direction, and fell down to her knees again.

"Gaara."

Like before, when she first spoke to him, his body froze, all except the violent shaking, and he looked up at her, eyes wider than before, if possible. He didn't bother wiping his tears or even attempt at hiding the loud sobs he let out every few seconds. His breathing was panicked and erratic, and Rae felt bad for him.

So, licking her teeth to make sure there was so blood on them(she didn't want to scare him any further than he already was), she closed her eyes, held up a hand in a thumbs up, and grinned at him.

"I'm okay, see?" She spoke, her voice louder than the whisper from before. There was a pause. Gaara didn't speak, and despite his occasional sob or hiccup, it was quiet as the two looked at each other.

Gaara began crying again.

"Ah," she paused, opening her eyes. "Whoops," she mumbled under her breath quiet enough that not even Gaara could hear.

Then she fell over and passed out.

* * *

((A/N: Whoops. She ded x( No, not really, she's just unconscious. Anyway, I got one review in the last chapter, so I'm gonna respond!

DarkDust27: She is a girl, but people assume she is a boy. Leo and Happy both know she's a girl, and so does that servant guy from earlier, but other than that, everyone just think she is actually a he. Also, I feel like if she doesn't trust someone, she'd let them believe she's a boy, but if she wanted to befriend them, like Gaara here, she'd tell them her gender. Thanks for the review!))


	3. First Friend

((A/N: Okay, so, from now on I will be responding to any reviews at the top, instead of the bottom.

DarkDust27: Yeah, I wanted to make the whole scene much happier, but I wanted to stick it as close to canon as I could. As we all know, Gaara has tried to make friends lots of times, and they always go south for lots of reasons. Rae simply got too close to him for Shukaku to feel comfortable, is all. And- if you look at the main characters list, Lee and Naruto both are in it, so, as you can guess, at some point or another, she will be going to Konoha :) I plan to make Rae a traveler, y'know? Also, spoiler alert, she will be involved in the Chuunin exams. On which side? Nobody knows... 8) Anyway, thanks for the review!

I'm hoping to keep each chapter at _at least_ 4.5k words, sometimes more. The first chapter was 4.7k, and the second chapter was 5.6k. This chapter was the longest yet, at 5.8k. You guys tell me if they're too long for your comfort, and I'll try to break them down more. If not, I hope you enjoy these long chapters!

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

By the time Rae had woken up from her, once again, dreamless slumber, it was well past dark out. The skies shone bright in the midnight blue sky, twinkling with every breath she took. The stars were bright and shone in and out of view as she stared up, dazed, into the sky. The moon was nearly full, but not quite, as well as being blocked by a few clouds here and there. She took a moment to fully enjoy the beauty of the view; plain and simple. She almost wanted to draw it, to keep the image with her forever; staring up at the twinkling stars and wispy clouds as she lie alone in the dark hospital room.

Wait...

..hospital room?

At once her consciousness seemed to return to her in full force. She had gotten so used to waking up in the hospital rooms every day this past week, she hadn't even realized that _she shouldn't be here._ She had been discharged just today- or, er, yesterday, perhaps? She couldn't remember.

Her senses came back to her one by one as she remembered the events leading up to her unconsciousness. She heard the faint constant beep of the heart monitor to the side of her, and paled. A monitor? That was bad, really bad. The fact that she was in a single bedroom instead of the common room full of beds that she had gotten used to in this past week only confirmed her suspicions.

She had been moved into the Extensive Care Unit, which meant she must have been hurt really bad. Enough to need immediate attention-not the kind of attention that your parents give you on your birthday, no, this was the kind of attention that scared people and made them wonder what poor soul had gotten nicked by the 'Demon of The Sand' this time.

She inhaled sharply. _Gaara_ \- he wasn't a demon, he was just a child. Just a child who wanted a friend, and damned if Rae wasn't going to be that friend for him. Besides, she didn't really have any friends here, either(with the exception of Leo and Happy, but really, she meant a friend in her own age range). It's a win win situation for the both of them, really. So, with this thought in mind, she began her very first mission since waking up, one sure to tire her out and perhaps make her want to quit the instant she began-

Sit up.

She sucked in a breath of air as she slowly began moving her arms, pushing her weight onto her elbows as to begin sitting up. Her abdomen stung, then faded, then came back full force as her chest burned hotter than lava with the idea of moving out of her current position. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in a loud cry of pain, but continued to sit up nonetheless.

The monitor beside her began to beep faster as she winced in clear agony, and she hissed, both from the excruciating pain she was putting herself through, but also because she knew the rapid beeping of the machine would make the doctors come for her, and they would not let her get up or leave, both of which she intended on doing, and soon.

She unhooked the I.V.'s needle from her arm, and took off the weird clip from her finger tip- the one that was connected to the machine. The machine gave a final beep before it droned on in a single, high pitched tone. Yeah, no, that didn't help. That probably made it worse. Her heart rate accelerating and then simply stopping? They must be panicking pretty bad right now.

She hisses under her breath as she finally sits upright, her arms beginning to ache from the small amount of exertion she put on them. Once sitting up, she pauses to catch her breath. Just how much damage had she received? From what she remembered, she had only been knocked back, which, sure, it had hurt like hell and ended up making her cough up blood, but really, this much damage? She hadn't expected it.

The door to her right finally slammed open, and three doctors came rushing in, looking panicked and wide eyed. They froze in their tracks when they saw her sitting up, and she glanced at them. She gave them a lazy smile.

"Hey," she wheezed. Her throat hurt.

One of the doctors pushed through to the front, and she vaguely realized that it was Happy. He stormed up to her and she shrunk back ashamedly. He was pissed, there was definitely no mistaking that. When he got close enough, he put both hands on her shoulders and glared down at her.

"Rae-San! Do you have any idea how panicked we were?! What the hell were you thinking!?" He shouted, gripping her shoulders hard enough to shake her slightly, but not enough to jostle her wounds too much.

Rae didn't know whether he was talking about trying to get out of bed without assistance, or the botched meeting with the sand kid.

Probably both.

"S-sorry, Happy," she muttered, looking down at her hands. Faking guilt sometimes worked with him. While she wasn't looking up at his face to see his emotions, he did sigh and his grip of her shoulders loosened slightly.

"Don't do it again," was all he said before turning and walking out of the room. Once he was out of the room, he turned back to glare at the small girl, shouting in his usual angered tone, "And don't call me that!"

She gave a mock salute with two fingers, shouting gleefully, "Yes, sir, Happy, sir!"

He looked like he was going to explode.

Instead, he huffed something under his breath and turned on his heel, storming off to go tell people that the patient was fine and not, in fact, lying dead in her bed, mumbling something about 'stupid kids' the entire walk. The other two doctors in the room looked back and forth between her and their comrade doctor, confused. When she gave a simple shrug, one of them planted their face firmly in their hands before turning and walking out. The other sighed as if dealing with this was a regular occurrence, then began to check Rae's vitals.

When they tried to hook the I.V. back into her arm, she whined and moved her hand away, turning away childishly. They gave her a look.

"You need the I.V."

"No."

His eyes narrowed. "Rae-San, is it? You need the I.V. for-"

"No!"

he sighed, straightening his back as if trying to look taller- it was stupid, really, considering he already was taller than her anyway- and looked down at the girl with something akin to absolute hatred in his eyes. He must have gotten really sick of trying to deal with her this past week, considering she could faintly recognize him. His brown grey eyes and long brown hair looked awfully familiar, and she squinted at him, attempting to remember his name.

He glared at her, but nonetheless gave up on trying to put the needle through her arm as she continuously refused to let the metal anywhere near her.

He continued to check her vitals and bandages normally, and Rae looked at his face, attempting to remember his name the entire time. If he was bothered by her staring, or even knew she was staring at him, he didn't let it show.

"Well, your vitals are fine, if a bit strained. You shouldn't try to get up so soon," he gave her a look and she looked away sheepishly. "Your bandages will need to be changed every six hours, as well as every morning when you wake up and every night before you sleep. Understood?" he asked, pocketing a pen he used to write this information down on the brown clip board he carried with him. Rae nodded, still staring.

"I recommend no strenuous activities, which means that whatever you did to get here- well, don't do it again." She had a feeling he knew exactly where she had been when this happened.

Damn right she's going to do it again. Although, admittedly, with a bit less pain next time.

"All right, what is it?" he finally asked, exasperated, as he clipped the board to the end of her bed.

"Ehh... Asa...Asu.." she mumbled, talking more to herself than to the man before her. She really did have a terrible memory when it came to faces. He seemed confused for a moment, before he realized what she was doing, and went blank faced.

"Asuke," he deadpanned.

"Asuke!" She snapped her fingers. "Yeah! I remember you."

He arched a brow, as if asking, 'do you? really? because I don't think you do', but all he did was sigh, nod his head once, and turn to leave the room.

"Stay in bed, and go back to sleep," was all he said before closing the door behind him. And locked it.

She cursed his name. Damn him for being smart enough to lock the door.

With nothing else to do, Rae sighed, then laid back in her bed. Her efforts were for nothing, then. Oh well. It can't be helped, she supposed. However- she glanced at the door once more. She would get out in due time, and she would try to find Gaara again. The poor boy was crying so much the last time she saw him, it nearly made her want to cry as well. He was so sad, so alone.

She would fix that. No boy that young should be so sad. He deserved a good friend, and damn if she wasn't going to be that friend.

* * *

Her plans of escaping the hospital she had become to accustomed to all failed. Well, no, not all of them, just the majority of them. A few had worked to the point where she could get out of her room, or she could end up even getting to the lobby- before the receptionist recognized her and ordered her to go back to her room before she called a doctor in for help. They were obviously getting to know her too well if they had already put a guard beside her door.

And the window, but, really, she wasn't one to make the same mistake twice.

So it took a full four days before she could get out again. Her injuries were bad enough that she couldn't leave the room for the first two days, so the majority of her plans happened on the last two. When the time came for her to be released, she was oddly well behaved and did as she was told, a giddy smile on her face the entire time that made every doctor around her nervous. In her short stay, both when she first arrived as well as this second visit, she had gotten to know the majority of the doctors and nurses here, even the janitor(his name was Ai, but she called him Rick)! They were weary of her plans, as they soon found out that she had no shortage of an imagination, and she definitely had no qualms about acting her imagination out.

"All right, Rae-chan, what's the smile for?" Leo had asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She was currently sitting in the lobby, in one of the many dusty brown chairs brought in for patients or people waiting to get in or out. Leo had been sitting beside her a while before, but when the receptionist called him over, he strolled up to the desk and began filling out the release papers. Ever since waking up, Leo had become something of a father figure to Rae, including releasing her from the hospital and sometimes, when he was off work, walking her to her current apartment room. At some points, he even sneaks her candy from the front desk(in which she learned of her serious sweet tooth).

Rae grinned, knocking her ankles together as she sat in her chair at attention. "Nothing. I'm just happy to be out of the hospital is all." She technically wasn't lying- she really was happy to get out already. She had come to know his hospital very well, knowing every crack and crevice _better_ than the back of her own hand(which wasn't very hard. The back of her hand was pretty much a mystery to her unless she was looking directly at it). Honestly, she spent more time in here than she spends in her own house. It had become some kind of a home to her.

Leo mock pouted at her, "Are you tired of me already, Rae-chan? How devastating!"

Rae smiled deceptively innocently, speaking in a sickly sweet voice, "Oh, don't worry, Leo! I'm most likely going to be coming back here pretty soon."

He paled rather quickly, and the receptionist behind the oak desk began laughing. He scowled.

"You will do no such thing. You really have to be more careful out there!"

Rae stuck her tongue out at him. He opened his mouth to speak something at her, perhaps giving her a lecture on how childish and immature she was acting, but the receptionist spoke up behind him, still smiling from before.

"Here you are, Eiji-san, her release papers are all filled out and you're free to take her," she spoke in a sweet tone. Rae had the sneaking suspicion that the receptionist may like Leo a bit more than a coworker.

Next mission: to get Leo to ask her out on a date. She would definitely have to get the two together. If Leo was like a father to her, she would have no problem with this women being her mother figure. She was very beautiful, and was always kind to Rae(even if she did foil her escape plans once or twice). Her lovely blond hair was soft to the touch and wavy, usually tied up in a tight bun in the back of her head. Rae once took her hair tie and she was forced to wear her hair down for the rest of the day. She had sighed down at Rae, smiling at her despite the fact that she was attempting to scold her for stealing things.

"Thank you, Miyuki-chan," Leo smiled down at her sincerely. Rae could have sworn that the woman's clear blue eyes had filled with hearts when he spoke her name.

' _Ask him out, Miyuki! You can do it!_ ' Rae chanted in her head, biting her lip as she saw Miyuki open her mouth to ask something-

-only for Leo to turn around and gesture for Rae to stand up. She followed quickly, smile slipping off her face as she glanced at the woman behind him. Rae walked toward Leo, and he took the paper from the desk before beginning to walk out of the room.

"See you around, Miyuki!" He waved at her without turning, placing a hand on Rae's shoulder as they walked out together. The poor blond woman looked so confused yet heartbroken at the same time, and Rae frowned.

Yeah, she would definitely have to get them together.

Rae tugged on the ends of Leo's shirt sleeves. "Wasn't she pretty, Leo?"

He hummed and glanced down at her, confused. "Who? Miyuki?" Leo didn't even bother correcting her about his name anymore. He had gotten so used to it by now that it didn't even register to him that she wasn't calling him by his name.

Rae nodded her head once, looking at his with such confidence in her eyes that Leo began getting suspicious of this line of questioning.

"Well..." he looked up, pushing one door open with his left hand as the other still held onto her shoulder. "Yes, I suppose she is rather pretty." Rae glanced back at Miyuki, to find out the fact that she had still been listening in on the conversation between the two. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Rae with such adoration and respect in her eyes that Rae couldn't help but grin and give her a thumbs up.

"Why?" Leo asked as they finally walked out of the building into the hot desert. She certainly had missed the sun on her face, that was certain. It felt so nice, she had almost forgotten what it felt like with how long she had spent locked up in her room. Leo glanced down at Rae with suspicion in his eyes as he perked one brow at her.

"Mm, nothing. I just think she's really pretty," she shrugged. Leo hummed in response, and began walking her back to her apartment.

"Well, you're a pretty girl as well, Rae-chan."

She scowled. "Nobody even _knows_ that I'm a girl, though. They all think I'm a boy." Every person she had met since waking up had automatically assumed she was a young boy, and she had gotten tired of correcting them that mostly only the staff of the hospital knew that she was a girl. Most other assumed her to be male.

Leo chuckled, "Well, yes, but you _do_ kind of look boyish, you know?" Rae had turned and glared at him so fast that Leo had to take a half step away. He gulped and laughed nervously, raising his hands in surrender as he spoke, "Kidding! Kidding!"

Rae sighed, lowering her shoulders dejectedly as Leo patted her head.

"Maybe you should grow out your hair? And wear dresses, maybe," he offered. Rae simply hummed in acknowledgement before going quiet.

The rest of the walk to her apartment was quiet.

When they had finally arrived at her room in said apartment building, Rae was tired and just wanted to take a cold bath and sleep for years. Leo had walked with her through the front doors, through the lobby, and up to her room.

"Thanks," she spoke as Leo opened the door for her. He smiled.

And the smile promptly fell from his face when he turned to look inside of her room.

"Dear Lord, Rae-chan! This room is a mess," he scolded, looking around at the dust packed room. The only things inside were the bed and the dresser that came with the room, as well as her previous outfit that she had left in her bedroom when she left to go adventuring five days before. Other than that, Leo was right. The room had been a bit dusty when she had arrived nearly a week ago, but now that she had been gone for so long, it was practically covered in dust.

She sneezed.

Leo scoffed, then came into the room, closing it behind the two of them as he walked through her small apartment. "All right, we're going to clean this place up."

She groaned, taking off her shoes at the front door and placing it down beside the door. Leo and Happy and, really, practically everyone else in the hospital, had scolded her about taking off her shoes when entering a house. She hadn't understood it, really, but they had made her do it when entering her bedroom every day so she would get in the habit of it. It had worked.

She walked through the front hall, following the dusty footprints that Leo left wherever he walked.

"But I'm tired, Leo," she whined, letting her bag fall to the ground and coughing as a cloud of dust flew up. Okay, yeah, no, she understand now why Leo was so persistent. This dust was annoying and was most likely going to cause a lot of problems, especially with her lungs.

"Then sit down somewhere. I'll clean it myself," he spoke from across the apartment. Rae sighed and went to follow the voice. She found him in the room between the bathroom and the kitchen, which she had dubbed the living room, opening the main window by the kitchen counter. When it opened, he leaned out the window and sighed. "You can't live in a space like this. What the hell were the people here doing while you were away? Don't they clean these rooms?" He muttered to himself, though Rae heard most of it.

"They probably didn't even know I was gone," Rae shrugged, walking into the bathroom to begin changing her clothes. She had gotten a new pair of clothing, courtesy of Leo, and was eager to change into them. She was really starting to hate the hospital outfits. Closing the door, she heard Leo grumble about something she couldn't really make out. She grinned as she took off her shirt. Leo was such a mother hen, honestly.

Changing into her newest outfit, she was mildly surprised to find out that everything fit, with the exception of the shirt. Like before, it was slightly too large, and had reached past her fingertips. Though as long as it covered her up, she didn't mind.

The shirt, though a bit big on her, was very comfortable. She didn't know what material it was made from, but she definitely loved it. That, plus the nice blueish grey hue of the outfit, had pretty much instantly made it her favorite shirt thus far. Like before, she rolled up the sleeves to reach her elbows.

"Rae!" She heard Leo shout somewhere from across the house. He was probably in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" She asked, shuffling around to shake off her much too large pants.

"Where's your broom?" He responded. She paused momentarily in her antics. Broom? Then she sighed. Oh, yeah.

"Uhhh, I don't own one?"

She hurried to put on the rest of her clothes. Her pants had been the same black khakis as before, though it actually fit her this time, so she had no need to tie a string around her waist. She didn't bother putting on the new pair of shoes she had been given, as she put those beside the door as well.

Walking out of the bathroom, she saw Leo walking around the room, seemingly confused. "What? Why don't you own a broom?"

She shrugged, "I haven't gone shopping for anything. I don't really own anything other than what the hospital has given me."

Little did she know that she would greatly regret saying that to Leo.

* * *

It was nearly seven hours later when Rae was finally permitted to lay down in her, now thoroughly cleaned, bed.

Nearly seconds after speaking that sentence to Leo, he had practically exploded. He began pacing back and forth between her rooms, shouting about how she was so irresponsible, but then apologizing and telling her that it wasn't her fault, and that she was just a child and that he should have been there and done it for her, and then he finally shut up and began dragging her out of the apartment, towards the supermarket nearby her home.

From then on, it was really just pure chaos as they tried to figure things out. They bought so many things, it took a few people to bring everything to her apartment.

Leo had bought everything, and she honestly had to wonder how much money he had, while also feeling guilty about spending so much of it in one day.

First was, obviously, the cleaning supplies. Broom, duster, dust pan, mop, buckets, and a lot of chemicals that she's never heard of before to get the house sparkling. And, no, she was not joking or being over dramatic. Her house. _It sparkled_.

Then they bought things that she had already had, but they were better and replaced the other things. They got new curtains for the windows, a better mattress for the bed, as well as an abundance of sheets and blankets. She chose the blankets herself. They were all soft and fluffy and _so damn comfortable._ There were also things she hadn't had before, such as rugs or a mat to place at her front door.

Then the furniture and appliances, and, honestly, it was as if they had bought her a brand new home. It certainly looked like one, and felt like one.

Her fridge was cleaned and stocked with healthy foods, as well as a few sweet things, because Leo knows how much she loved those. He also knew she had practically no self control when it came to candy, so he ended up putting most of it in the higher shelves of the cabinet.

Poor, sweet, naive Leo, if he thinks a cabinet would stop her from getting her candy.

She sighed, however, when remembering how Leo had scolded her when she glanced at them with a plan in mind. It was as if he could read her mind, and she wasn't comfortable with that. How dare he foil her plans before she could even go through with them?

She wrapped her warm blankets tighter around herself, eyes closing slowly as she huddled in on herself. It's so warm here, and so comfortable. Her bandages had been changed an hour before, when Leo had been setting up her bed and she had left to clean her wounds and re-bandage them. Leo had taken a break then, and they both ate dinner together, and even made some chocolate chip cookies afterward. Leo was an okay cook, but they both found out that Rae was a natural in the kitchen. She loved cooking now. Perhaps she could bake her own sweets at some point in the future.

She closed her eyes, letting the warmth take over her as the darkness took over her vision.

Just moments before she was finally asleep, when she was in the state of almost but not quite sleeping and she could only vaguely recognize the things around her, she heard a knock. She was too tired to get up, and simply grumbled a half hearted response, hoping that Leo would get whatever it was and tell it to shut up. The knocking stopped, and she relaxed. Leo must have gotten it, then.

Then it began again, and she remembered that, _oh yeah_ , Leo left an hour ago.

She huffed as the knocking stopped again, but she knew it would return in a second. Soon enough, the knocking began again, but more urgent this time, and she let out a long sigh.

"Okay," she mumbled. "Okay!" She said louder, hoping that whoever was there would hear it and stop knocking already. They must have heard, as the knocking stopped suddenly, and she groaned. She really wanted to stay in bed and go back to sleep, but, no, that would be rude.

So, with a hesitant whine, she began unfolding herself from her blankets. Her bed was bigger now, and she loved how much space she had. Space that she had to leave to go answer the door.

She glared at the clock by her bed as she stood, hating how bright the red letters were as she read the time.

Who the hell would be at her door at nearly nine o'clock at night?

She grumbled, then got up, shuffling her way to the front hall. She had no windows by her door, nor did she have any peephole for glancing outside at who it was, but she didn't care at the time. She was too tired to care. She just wanted to tell whoever it was to go away and let her sleep, then crawl back into bed and sleep for 24 hours.

Yet, as she unlocked and opened her door, she froze. She blinked once, and she was suddenly very much awake. She didn't speak at the sight before her. What...? How did he...?

"U-Um," Gaara spoke, stuttering as he looked down at his shuffling feet. He was not comfortable under her confused gaze, although he had no way of knowing she was simply confused. He thought perhaps she was unhappy to see him, and he honestly expected that. Nobody was happy to see him, especially not after hurting them, whether it was an accident or not(which, rest assured, it _always was_ an accident).

When she did not speak, he grew even more nervous, and began to think that perhaps this was a mistake. All the same, he held out the bag in his arms anyway. He had come here to give her this, and even if she slammed the door in his face or called him a monster and shouted at him to leave, he would still give it to her.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke. "What's this?" She asked, pointing at the bag. Gaara was surprised that her voice held no hatred or fear, as every other person he had ever met had all held for him. Her voice didn't tell him that she was angry at him, or even afraid. It was just confusion.

Gaara lifted his eyes, not quite to look into her own eyes, but simply to look over her body. He spotted the bandages covering her right arm, and immediately looked down again.

He lifted the bag a bit higher, almost pushing it into her face, and smiled shyly.

"M-medicine. For your injuries," he mumbled under his breath. Rae bit down on her lip as she glanced down at the bag in surprise.

How can one achieve this level of cuteness? She doesn't understand it at all.

She reached her hands forward and clasped them gently around the bag, touching his finger tips in the process. He jolted, but didn't move to stop her. She took the bag from his hands, and he began to turn to leave, before Rae spoke up again.

"Hey," she spoke. Her voice was soft, but loud enough to make sure he had heard her. Sure enough, he had, and he froze, looking back at her with wide cerulean blue eyes. They were beautiful.

Rae took a step back from her door, opening it further, and smiled at Gaara. He seemed thoroughly confused by what she is trying to do, or what she was trying to implement. Gaara glanced past her, looking into the long hallway connected to her doorway. Her home was very neat and clean, he noticed. It looked comfortable.

"Wanna come inside?" She asked.

The look that he had given her nearly had her dropping the bag and hugging him then and there, but she already learned her lesson on trying to touch the boy. The look was one of pure confusion, fear, and absolute adoration for the girl.

 _Did she mean it...?_

She smiled, and Gaara's eyes became shiny with unshed tears.

"A friend and I made some cookies earlier. You can have some if you want."

Gaara's eyes widened, and he wrung his hands together as he glanced inside her home again, as if in shock. Honestly, he probably was in shock. Nobody had ever invited him inside before. Hell, nobody had ever spoken to him in such a kind tone before. Nobody except for his uncle, but even then, his uncle sometimes showed fear in his eyes. Especially after he had stopped Gaara from killing that girl the other week, he looked at Gaara with such fear and loath in his eyes that Gaara had stopped everything and had broken down, crying. Then he had sat alone in the swing sets... and then, then this boy had come...

"You don't have to, y'know, if you don't want to."

Gaara walked inside. His steps were hesitant, but when the girl smiled at him in sincerity, he was more confident.

"So, uh," She began speaking as the two walked through the home. She walked in the front after she had closed the door, walking toward the kitchen where the container of cookies were on the counter. "Your name is Gaara, right?" She looked over her shoulder as they walked. Gaara nodded silently, looking into her eyes as they talked. Gaara thought that the boy's eyes were pretty. He never really noticed how pretty they were before.

"And you're... Rae?" He asked hesitantly. She nodded and smiled, turning back to the front. When they arrived in the kitchen, she pulled back a chair for him to sit in, which he did. He glanced around the room in awe. He'd never been inside any other homes than his own. It was nice to see the different designs and colors. The home was very cool, as well. While most homes have some kind of air conditioning due to the constant heat, most people just made due with the heat. They had gotten used to it. She must not be from around here, if she had to make her house cold like this. He wondered where she was from. He'd never been outside of Sunagakure before.

Rae opened the container of cookies, handing one to Gaara, who took it eagerly. Now that he was slightly more comfortable around the girl, although he was very confused as to why she was being so kind to him, the thought of sweets was an exciting thought, as is to any child. Although, admittedly, to Gaara, the thought of making a friend was better.

And whether it was known to him at the time or not, he would make a friend. One that would last a life time.


	4. Play Date

((A/N: I'm so sorry for this haitus I seemed to have started without telling anyone ): I kind of just lost motivation for writing in total, not just this one story. But! I'm back! And I'm trying to write multiple chapters ahead this time so I can post those when I don't feel like writing.

On another note, if you're one of my old fans, then I suggest re-reading this story from the beginning, because I decided to redo this story so there's a few differences in the first chapters. Mostly age, a bit about Rae's personality, and a few things that will come into play later on. Now, answers to a few reviews!

BlessYou- I haven't really decided yet. You guys can vote it out in the comments. Do you think Gaara/Rae should be a romantic pairing or stay as a platonic, brother/sister kind of thing? If you do decide they should stay platonic, who else should I pair Rae with? I do intend for this story to have romance in it later on, so she'll definitely end up with somebody. I'll leave it up to you guys as to who it is, though.

Blackdove Whitedove- thank you! I'm glad you like the story so far! I love Gaara too. The precious babbu needs some lovin. I intend to write a lot of good fluff between Rae and Gaara before the inevitable uncle betrayal happens to the poor boy. Then it's feels town for everyone! Not to mention the story arc I have planned soon that will, er... nevermind. You'll see what happens when it happens :)

Also, this chapter is only 3.3k words, which, I know, breaks my promise of each chapter being at least 4.5k words, but I didn't want to force myself to write too much if it meant it would only come out bad. The other chapters will be longer again.

Enjoy this (long overdue) chapter!))

* * *

Gaara hadn't stayed for very long. Although he had definitely tried to stay as long as he could, excitement and joy clear in his bright blue eyes at the prospect of an actual friend, he had told her with tears in his eyes about how he had to be back home at a certain time. It was already past that time, so he was bound to be in trouble already, but Rae told him she understood.

So, with an extra cookie to have on the walk home, she let him leave.

"Ano... Rae-chan," Gaara had spoken up uneasily at the front door, the sky darkened already and lamps being turned on in the roads on Suna. Gaara had been excited beyond measure when Rae had told him that he could call her '-chan', instead of '-san'. There might have been actual stars in his eyes.

"Yes, Gaara?"

He had fidgeted with his clothes, tugging at his white scarf nervously as he looked down at his sandals. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke up in a quiet voice,

"Can I... Can we talk again..? A-another time...?"

Rae was silent for only a split second while she comprehended what he meant. He was asking if they could hang out again, to make sure this wasn't a one time thing, and that he was making an actual friend. She grinned her lopsided grin.

"I would love to, Gaara! Do you wanna go to the park with me tomorrow?"

He had looked up at her with such adoration in his eyes and a wide grin on his little face that Rae thought she would cry on the spot.

After securing a 'play date' with the young boy first thing tomorrow morning, he had run off with such excitement in his smile that Rae couldn't help but stare after the retreating figure for a second. Then she realized how absolutely exhausted she was, and closed the door, just about ready to pass out on the spot.

And as she falls asleep in her large bed, she grins as she thinks of the new friend she's made.

* * *

When she first wakes up in the morning, her alarm clock going off with an annoying buzzing noise she couldn't help but want to murder, she simply wants to go back to sleep and wrap herself up like a cooked burrito in her blankets. Heaven knows she certainly felt cooked alive in this heat. Her conditioner had turned itself off sometime in the middle of the night and she was torn between keeping the blankets or kicking them off her sweaty body.

Then she remembered last night, and her promise of this morning, and she shot out of her bed faster than she'd ever moved before. She tripped over the blankets entangling her feet, sure, but she still made her way to her bathroom to quickly wash up.

She paused for a second before hurrying back to her room, punching her alarm clock with more force than necessary to get it to shut up, then runs right back into her bathroom.

She nearly wrestled her clothes off of her body, throwing them onto the floor and stepping into the shower before it had the chance to heat up. The cold water felt nice on her overheated body for only a split second before she flinched out of the water. While waiting for it to heat up, she grabbed her toothbrush and tooth paste, beginning to brush her teeth in the shower as she wets her hair.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, she's hopping out of the shower with minty breath and clean hair, drying herself and putting on a pair of her new clothes that Leo had bought for her yesterday along with all her new things. Dark green khakis and a simple orange shirt, along with her usual black sandals. All her clothes fit her this time, and she admitted that it felt much better than wearing much too large clothing like she usually did. Although, looking into the mirror, she couldn't help but grumble at how, even though the clothing was neat and form-fitting, she still looked boyish.

Grumbling to herself, she folded her long sleeves up to her elbow, then was out the door with her bag slung over her shoulder in the hopes of collecting pretty rocks, despite how it didn't work out too well the last time she went out looking for rocks. Her bag also held a few snacks she had grabbed in her hurry. They were mostly sweets, but she hadn't felt like stopping to have breakfast, since she didn't know what time Gaara would be there. She didn't want to make him wait alone for her.

Her short white hair wasn't exactly dry, but with how hot it was even in the early sunlight, she figured it would dry itself quickly. As she ran through the streets, searching for the park, she glances at the many items around her as she makes her way through the stalls of the market.

She reaches into her bag and grabs a few cookies, munching on them slowly as she stares at all the things in the stalls while she walks by. There was one stall selling robes and scarves and headgear for the desert winds, and she awed at their intricate designs. She would go back to look at those another time.

As she makes her way into the same small park she had been in a few days before, the one with the rusty swing set that Rae had found Gaara at originally, she spotted the young red headed boy there already. Sitting in the same swing as before, kicking up the sand underneath his feet sadly.

"Gaara!" Rae called his name, a smile on her face. The boy started, looking up at her in surprise, as if he didn't expect to actually see her here.

She walked closer, but kept her distance of a few feet. The smile stayed on her face, although a bit strained at the thought of him thinking he would be abandoned by her already.

"Rae-chan!" He finally spoke back, a wide grin forming on his face. He stands up quickly and makes to step closer to her, but as they both spot the sand shifting around them, he freezes in his spot, the grin falling from his face in a split second.

"I- I'm sorry.." He mumbles, although Rae isn't entirely certain why he was apologizing. She shrugs her shoulders, taking a step off to side of him, toward the other swing.

"It's okay. We can just sit here and talk, if you want to." Gaara perks up again in an instant, the smile back, albeit a bit more sheepish this time, and he nods, sitting back down in his swing as Rae takes up the swing right next to him. They're sitting a mere two feet apart, and could reach out and hold hands if they wanted to.

 _No,_ Rae reminds herself at the thought. _You can't hold his hand. You can't touch him._

She huffs at her own inner thoughts. She knows that it's probably true, that she shouldn't get too close to Gaara or touch him at all, but that won't drive away the thought of how cute he is and how much she wants to hug him and hold his hand for as long as she possibly could.

"So, Gaara," Rae speaks up in the silence, a small smile on her face as she looks up at the sky. Looking down at the small boy would only make her wants to physically comfort him even stronger.

Gaara looks up at her with wide eyes, probably still just as unused to the idea of a friend as ever, still shocked that she was actually talking to him. He expected this all to be a dream, for her to laugh in his face and make fun of him for thinking that she would actually want to be his friend, or for him to wake up in his bed, alone again.

"How old are you?" She asked, finally looking down into his eyes.

"U-um... four." He held up four fingers to her, a small, sheepish smile on his face. His cheeks were tinted a slight pink and Rae regretted looking down at the boy. She was right. It only made it worse.

"That's nice. I'm nine. I think..." She mumbles the last part to herself, but due to the small distance between them, he had heard.

"Ah.. You think?" He asked quietly, eyes pinched in confusion.

She nods. "I have amnesia." Rae shrugs nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. "I don't really... remember anything about myself or where I came from. I woke up in the desert a few weeks ago, and I've been living in that small home for a while. The doctors said I was nine years old, though, so it must be true." She smiles. Gaara looks up at her with awe in his eyes.

"Amnesia?" He whispers aloud, as if confused that it was possible for someone to not have all of their memories. Then he looked sad, apologizing with a small stutter, "I-I'm sorry, it must be sad to not remember anything.."

"Don't apologize," Rae says softly. "You should never be sorry for something you can't control."

Although a simple sentence, Rae had meant it in more ways than one.

"Besides," she looks forwards, kicking up sand underneath her and she pushes herself to begin swinging, "It's not too bad, I guess. I'm just... worried."

Gaara is quiet for a moment before he copies her movements, kicking his small feet underneath him as well as his swing begins moving alongside hers.

"Worried?" He asks quietly.

"Yeah," she nods. "I'm worried. What if I have a family somewhere out there that's looking for me? Or, what if I was running away from someone, and that's why I was alone in the desert? Do I have any friends? Where did I come from? I was already told I'm not from Suna, so I must be from elsewhere..." she trails off.

Gaara is quiet for a long time. They both are. Then, in a hesitant, quiet voice, Gaara speaks up,

"You shouldn't worry about stuff you can't control..."

Rae looks at him in shock for a moment. Then she grins, a small laugh escaping her mouth that makes Gaara smile.

"I don't think it works that way," she laughs, thinking of all the things people worry about even though they can never control them. She looks forward once more, at the sun raising in the sky and setting over the small desert village she had begun to recognize as her home.

"But thanks."

* * *

Rae and Gaara had spent the entire day together. They spent only an hour on the swings before Rae had gotten bored of that and decided that they should play elsewhere. Gaara was just following her around wherever she wanted to go, still not quite over the idea of a true friend. At this point, he was willing to do just about anything to keep her around.

They had spent another hour and a half running around the park itself. The sight of Gaara had scared off the other children there, and Gaara had begun to cry, apologizing to Rae like he had ruined their day. Rae had simply grinned down at him and told him that they didn't have to wait to play with any of the toys now that the mean kids were gone. Gaara had agreed.

After getting bored of that as well, Rae proposed that they play ball. Gaara looked ecstatic. Rae immediately regretted her decision.

Throwing something at him was not a good idea, and her bruised stomach from where the sand had thrown it back at her with four times the force she had thrown agreed with her. Gaara had apologized for that as well. Rae told him she wasn't that fond of ball anyway.

They drew shapes in the sand instead, and Rae tried to draw a map of her house to show Gaara how neat her home was. Gaara drew the inside of his home, too. Rae nearly gaped at the size. Gaara then had to explain to her who her father was.

"Rasa is your dad?" She had asked in disbelief. Looking at him now, she could see the small resemblance, for sure, but she never even thought of the connection between the two.

Gaara was confused for a moment before he nodded with sudden understanding, "Nobody calls him by his name. It's just 'The Kazekage'."

"Oh... do you want to make sand castles?"

"What's a sand castle?"

They spent the next three hours making castles in the sand. They had no water to wet the sand with, so most of it fell apart or was a simple mountain of sand with a stick poked into the top to resemble a flag, but Gaara was absolutely entranced with the idea of making castles out of sand for fun. He never got bored of it, no matter how many times it kept falling over and Rae kept trying to help him rebuild it.

By the time they paused for a break, it was past lunch time. Gaara had excitedly told her that she should come over to his home to have lunch with him, and that way he could introduce his family to his new friend. While it physically wounded Rae's soul to crush his heart by telling him she didn't want to go to his home, she felt too uncomfortable with going there now that she knew who his family was.

When she offered to let him go over to her home again, the sad expression was replaced with awe and excitement in a heart beat. She grinned. She would never get tired of that expression on him.

So they walked back to her home, ate a lunch of mostly sweets and pastries that Rae knew Leo would scold her for, and then went right back out to play more.

They spent the rest of the day running around the playground and looking for rocks or any 'lost treasures' as Rae had called them in the sand, and while they had found a few pieces of trash that they had cleaned up- ' _You should always try to make the world a better place if you can, Gaara'_ \- they found no treasures, much to Rae's displeasure.

"Ne, Rae-chan?" Gaara asked, sitting in the sand on his knees, trying his best to make his sand castle stand up again after falling over for the tenth time in the last hour.

"Yeah?" She responded plainly, working on burying her legs in the sand for no reason in particular.

"If you don't remember anything, how do you know your name is Rae?" He asked innocently. Rae paused, her fistfulls of sand slipping through her fingers in her silent shock. Gaara seemed to think this meant she was upset. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up-"

"I don't," she answered plainly. Looking over to his worried expression, she smiled kindly. "It's alright. But you're right, I don't know Rae is my name. It just... uh..." She thought back to the dream she had, about the man that scared her. "I guess I heard it somewhere, and I needed something to call myself, you know..?" She shrugged, looking back down at her sand covered legs.

They were both silent for a while.

"I think it fits..." Gaara mumbled quietly, smiling.

Rae smiles too.

"Thanks."

* * *

Gaara still couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that he had finally found a friend. He almost felt as though she didn't exist. His uncle had told him about people who saw imaginary things because of dehydration for being out in the desert for too long. He had been sitting out in the swings by himself for quite a while when she appeared, smiling at him like she wasn't afraid of him.

Everyone was afraid of him though.

But, no. She never showed any fear. At first, he had thought she was just acting. His uncle had warned him about people that would want to use him for his powerful abilities, and while he argued that he didn't think anyone would want to be around him even for using him like a tool, the thought had crossed his mind.

But he looked into her eyes and she just smiled at him. She smiled like she wasn't afraid. She smiled like she didn't care about all the people he's hurt. She smiled like he wasn't covered in the blood of the people he's killed.

She smiled like she cared about him.

It made him feel fuzzy and warm inside when she smiled at him, so he tried to make her smile as often as he could. He didn't know why it made him feel good when she was smiling, but he liked it, and he wanted them to stay this way. He wanted to keep playing with her in the playground, and he wanted to keep making her smile.

Even if he thought she was a boy at first, even if he doesn't understand why she could possibly want to be around him, even if he thinks she's too pretty to keep being hurt by him, he wants them to stay this way. He wanted to stay _friends_.

He had to tell his uncle about her.


	5. A Day in The Sun

((A/N: A bit of a time skip in this chapter, but not too much. There will be more time skips in the next few chapters as well. Also there isn't much Gaara in this chapter, as I wanted to focus a bit more on how Rae is getting used to her life here. This chapter is really just telling you about how her day to day life is like. There's only a few more chapters until something big happens to further the plot (:

By the way, going back to read through the first few chapters, I saw a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes, and I want to apologize for any you might see in this chapter as well. I'd like to let you know that I don't have a beta, and I write these all on my own and post them shortly after writing them. I don't usually check for mistakes before posting. Whoops. Forgive me!

There weren't any questions to respond to in the reviews, so there's no review responses this time! Leave your questions if you want me to answer them in the next chapter! Instead, however, allow me to direct you to my Deviantart account. I post mostly SCP and RWBY things there, but I'll be drawing lots of Rae stuff in the future, including Leo and Happy drawings and anyone else I may add later on in the story. My Deviant is ArtisticallyDeadly. Go send me a note or somethin idk. Let me know if you're a fan from the story tho! I'd love to meet you guys

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

If there was one thing Rae hated above all other things, it was loud noises. Whether they lasted for hours or for only a split second, she hated them all. Shouting, screaming, pots banging together, they all made her mad as all hell.

Which really made her wonder why she agreed to have this alarm clock Leo had set up in her room.

She groans, listening to it go off like a bunch of annoying birds chirping directly in her ear. Even covering herself in her mass of blankets and pillows didn't help much, the sound still as loud as ever. She was seriously wondering how it didn't wake up everyone in the building already.

It only takes her a minute of listening to the high pitched ringing to finally get up and glare at her clock with all the hatred a small nine year old could possibly muster- which, honestly, was not a whole lot- before punching it where she hoped its face was, if it had a face. After the noises finally subsided, she groaned again, glancing at the time. She was going to be late for school.

Yes, school.

Despite living here in Suna for a grand total of three and a half months, she had learned much about the ninja academies around the world, including the one in her own home village. It took her two months, but she had, apparently, been deemed fit enough to start the very basics of training. She was still learning mathematics and literature, learning the history of the desert she had grown to love as her own home, she hadn't even started the bare essentials to consider herself a kunoichi. She hadn't even started learning of her own chakra system yet.

 _Though_ , she thinks, _I've only been in school for two weeks._

Sighing, she muses that she will never get used to getting up so early in the morning for this school. So as she drags herself from her oh-so-comfy bed and into her bathroom, peeling clothes off as she goes, she thinks about her life in Suna thus far.

Despite her rather short amount of time being spent here, she had already made a name for herself among the civilians and shinobi alike. The civilians adored her spirit and undying energy. The shinobi groaned when she came around.

Short, messy white hair with eyes that shine like the stars? Ah, yes, that must be Rae, the creative young girl with much too much free time on her hands! The pranks, the foolish plans that are dumb enough to almost actually work, the way she doesn't seem to understand what the word 'shame' even meant. These are all things the lovely villagers of the desert have grown to know as aspects of the energetic young mystery that is little Rae.

And as she grumbles about how the sun isn't even up yet as she showers in lukewarm water, a little more on the cold side as she had gotten used to the hot weather now, she thinks of her relationships.

Yes, she is still in contact with Leo and Happy both. If she thought Leo was something akin to a father figure before, now she was sure he had practically adopted her. They live in separate homes, yes, but he gets up just as early as her and walks her to class each day, leaving her with a smile and a promise to pick her up afterwards. He takes her shopping and splurges on her when she makes the face they both know he can't resist. He carries her on his shoulders when she's too short to see over the tall sand domes when they watch the sunset before heading home. She can say for certain that she loves Leo like family.

Happy isn't quite as excited to be a part of Rae's make believe family, but he doesn't question it anymore. It turns out Leo and Happy barely knew each other before Rae came along, as they had only worked together for about a week. She always goes on about how she brought them together and how they were as close as a bickering married couple, and while the both of them will always scold her for making such accusations in broad daylight, they will always be grateful for the little girl that created such a strong bond between the two. No, they were not together, but they had a bond like brothers. Perhaps it was because she had made the two see they had much in common, or perhaps it was how well they got along together both in work and outside of it.

Perhaps it was due to how often they had to get Rae out of trouble. Who knows. Rae isn't pointing fingers.

The young girl has been to Leo's home once or twice, and it was very small and tidy. She'd since learned he was somewhat of a neat freak. Just somewhat. Which is why it had been chaos when the two of them went to visit Happy in his own home, and he had opened the door to a very messy, very dirty home. Leo had nearly had a heart attack on the spot. They spent the entire day cleaning. Except Rae, she had sat on the couch singing loud, made up songs that Happy claims he hates, but she didn't see him telling her to stop, so she knows he's lying.

And as Rae washes the soap from her hair, she thinks of her good friend, Gaara.

They hardly see each other, really. She had spent two months training and learning to get into the schools, and she learned that Gaara had had a personal instructor all along, so they were both busy for the first two months after they met. Afterwards, they could only really see each other when Gaara wasn't busy with learning from his instructor and when Rae was off school and didn't have after school lessons. Even then, they could hardly meet up for more than an hour or two.

She loved the time spent with him anyway. And though he was always sad to see her go, she always promised to be back when she could.

 _"As long as I am able,"_ she had told him when they had to part ways. _"I will always come back!"_

He didn't believe her the first time, she knew, and he had difficulty believing it the second time, but if there was one thing the village of the desert had come to learn of this young girl, it was the fact that she always kept her word. Especially to her friends.

Now, she hadn't seen him in nearly a week, and while she was sad she couldn't see her red headed friend for a while more, she was never really alone. Being the extroverted, energetic ball of sunshine that she was, she had never had trouble pushing herself to make new friends. It was hard to meet anyone at first, because practically everyone knew of her close relationship with the 'Demon of The Desert' by now, but after weeks of trying, a few kids eventually began to get closer with her. Afterwards, the others came by, just to meet the little girl who feared nothing, not even a demon, and there began her trip to becoming one of the most well known and well liked people of the village.

Make no mistake, they still hated that little demon boy with all their heart, but they considered her a fearless genius, the little girl who stood up to the demon on her own and lived, the little girl who could come up with a plan to get what she wanted and get away with it, and, most importantly, the little girl who often came to school with enough treats to share with her entire class, teacher included.

Yes, she muses, maybe the children have it all wrong about Gaara, but Gaara tells her he doesn't mind what others think, as long as she never leaves him. She promised she would never leave him, and she meant to keep that promise for as long as she possibly could.

She smiles at the memory of the last time she had seen him as she towels off her hair. No, she had never grown it out. After a few weeks of having it the same way, she had grown to like how the short hair looked on her. Even if a few people still confused her for a boy from time to time, she didn't mind. Almost everyone knew her true gender nowadays, so she never bothered to correct them, figuring they'd learn it sooner or later.

Looking into the mirror, she smiled at her reflection.

Her hair, as short and messy as it had ever been, was damp still as she pulled the towel off her head(she always let her hair dry in the sun while walking to school. It made the hot walk a little more bearable, in her opinion). Her once pale skin was slightly tanned now. Not as tan as the other children of Suna and nowhere near as tan as the adults, but enough to show how often she spent her time in the hot sun. Her eyes were the same glittery blue-red as they had been since first waking up, and her freckles stood out just a bit more against her skin.

Yes, she may look like a boy, but she looked like a damn cute boy.

She snorts at her own thoughts, pulling out a pair of blue shorts and a beige, long-sleeved shirt. Folding the sleeves of her shirt up to her elbows as usual, she slips her backpack over her shoulders, now filled with her school books and notebooks meant for note taking, which she usually filled with mindless doodles and new ideas she liked to keep stored away.

Slipping on her sandals at the door, she left her home, smiling when she spotted Leo sitting on a nearby bench. He never wore his work clothing(or, as she liked to call them, the 'pee colored tarps') before work, so she could see his short, neatly groomed dark brown hair shine in the sunlight. His eyes, as brown and warm as always, brightened when he noticed her.

"Ah, Rae-chan. Ready for school?" He asked, standing up from his spot and holding out a hand for her to grab onto.

There were many things Rae didn't remember about herself or her past. There were many reasons she had always felt like this life was not her own, and she had always felt as though she should be older, taller, and more matured. And yet, despite feeling as though she should be embarrassed to hold onto this man's hand as they walked, she simply grinned and nodded, holding his hand the entire way.

Maybe she was older than she thought she was. Either way, she's a child now, and she enjoyed the company of this man and the comfort he brought her. She felt no shame for that.

* * *

Rae knows she makes a big fuss about having to get up early in the morning to get to school, but, really, stepping foot into her class in the morning was one of the funnest things to do in her school. Why, you may ask? Simple.

She gripped the door's handle in her hand, sliding it back slowly as she grabbed her back in one hand. One foot in front of the other, she was inside her classroom, and while Rae was not the earliest kid in her class, she wasn't the latest either. There were many children already in their seats, and the teacher wasn't here yet.

Which is why there was nobody to stop them from shouting and pushing each other to the ground as they rushed to get to the young girl in the doorway first.

"Rae-chan! Rae-chan! Do you have sweets?" One boy asks. Don't be silly, of course she has sweets. She always does.

"Can I have the sour ones?" Another kid shouts from the back.

"I want the sweet gummies!" Another shout from somewhere she couldn't place.

She smiled. Ah, yes, gather 'round children, tell Rae-chan how much you love her.

She snorts at her own thoughts again. She might be getting too power hungry with how much these kids loved her.

"Calm down," she speaks loud enough for all of the small mob to hear, trying to push her way through. "I need to get to my seat." What she really meant was that she needed to get out of the hall, where a certain angry teacher might see her. It wasn't her fault that bucket of sand just so happened to hit him while she was there.

And so, as the children present crowd around her desk after she's sat down, she hands out the candy she has on her, relishing in their smiles and laughter as they thank her and go to their own seats respectively. A few ask for more, but they know she only gives out one for each kid, so they go back to their seat with just their one candy. Some save it for lunch, some eat it now, some save it to bring home later on.

A few more children pile in, each of them getting their own candies as they wait for the teacher to arrive. Which she does, after the last child settles into her seat. Rae had always wondered how the teacher does that, arriving exactly as the last student in the class sits down, each day the same time. She chalks it up to being something a teacher just does. And as the teacher smiles when she spots the small candy already on her desk, Rae figures she doesn't actually care.

* * *

When Rae sits down for lunch hours later, she sits on the small playground's swings, kicking herself back and forth on the toy as she uncurls her lunch bag, packed by, of course, Leo.

Which may be why she sticks her tongue out at the healthy, vegetable filled lunch that he had packed for her. She sighed, but began to eat it anyway. It wasn't particularly bad tasting, per se, she actually quite liked some of the food made here. She would simply have preferred something sweeter. She always prefers something sweeter. She knows it isn't healthy and that Leo is doing her some good by forcing her to eat these yucky foods on a daily basis, especially if she intends to enter the life of a kunoichi in Suna as she grows older.

It won't stop her from blowing a raspberry at him the next time she sees him, though.

"Hey! Rae-chan!" Rae's head perks up as she hears her name being called from behind her. Dropping her chopsticks into her small bento box, she turns in her seat to look for the owner of the voice.

"Come sit with us!" A small group of children smile and wave her over, patting an empty seat beside them.

She blinks once before smiling, picking up her lunch and heading to the small group of kids she recognizes as her class mates. She knows a few of their names, but not all of them. Three months in, and she still has difficulty remembering people's names. She wonders if this has anything to do with her memory loss, or if it's something she must have always had.

Nonetheless, she smiled sweetly and picked up her lunch, heading over to the group of kids waiting for her. Scooting into her new seat wordlessly, she looks around at the children smiling and welcoming her with open arms. Yes, she could get used to this life easily.

It takes a few more hours for the school day to come to an end, the bell ringing loudly in the children's ears as they packed up their bags and listened as the teacher called out what to do for homework tonight.

"And listen, children! Remember to read up about chakra control! It's something you may have difficulty with in the future!" She shouts to the class who no doubt were ignoring her for favor of running out of the room, happy to be done with the boring chore they called the ninja academies.

Walking through the halls, she waves goodbye at a few of the students she considered friends. Afterwards, she heads straight to the front yard where she knows Leo will be waiting for her.

Sure enough, when she steps foot outside, he's there, waiting for her. He's wearing his work clothing, and she makes a face at him, knowing full well that he hated it when she called them pee colored tarps. His mouth and the rest of his face minus his eyes may have been covered, but she could see the warning scowl in his eyes already, even as he brings his hand out for her to take hold of. She does so gladly, skipping alongside him.

"How was school today, Rae-chan?" He asks kindly, a smile in his tone. She smiles back up at him.

"It was fine. Kyo-sensei gave us five minutes of extra recess time because we finished our work early," She explains happily.

"Oh? Good for you, then. You didn't get into any trouble today, did you?" His tone was just as kind as before, but with an added undertone of a silent threat to it.

"Of course not!" Rae had learned from experience that it was never wise to anger a medic nin. They might not do much in the way of fighting, but they are twice as intimidating. Especially if this particular medic nin controlled how much desert you got after dinner.

"So you didn't pour a bucket of wet sand over Ando-san's head before class today?"

Her silence was the only answer he needed.

* * *

"What about... a pool?" Rae asks questioningly, chomping down on her rice.

"How would we get a pool into the middle of the desert?" Leo responds calmly, eating his own dinner at a calm pace, unlike the young girl eating quickly before him, as if it would disappear if she didn't eat it within a certain amount of time. Rae humphs.

Yes, she had gotten into trouble for her small 'prank' she had pulled on one of the teachers at school earlier that day.

Yes, she had gotten grounded to no desert for a week.

Yes, she had cried.

No, Leo did not give in.

Rae blamed this on the fact that she uses her puppy face far too often at him. He had gotten nearly immune to it by now, making it harder to get away with things around him. Oh well. It's not as if she's really going to go through with this punishment anyway.

"We could make a big tub... then pour water into it."

"Where would we get enough water for a pool?" He questions, looking down into her eyes. She humphs again, licking a piece of rice from her lips. As she glances around, looking for an answer to his logical question, the doorbell rings.

"Ah," Leo hums, getting up from his seat. As he walks down the hallway to the front door, he turns to stare Rae in the eyes, warning her with a shake of his finger, "Don't take my chicken." Then calmly walks down the hall and opens the front door.

As Rae listens to Leo conversing with someone she recognized as Happy, she reaches over the table and grabs a slice of his chicken with her chopsticks. He won't notice.

The conversation at the front door goes on for roughly a minute before she can hear shoes being taken off, and the creaking of the floor boards as two people walk down the hall. Walking back down the hall to the dining room, Leo stares at his plate, then at the self satisfied grin on Rae's face, and simply rolls his eyes with a small smile on his face. Happy follows shortly behind him, a paper bag in his hands. Leo takes this bag and separates, heading towards the kitchen as Happy continues on into the dining room where Rae sits alone at the four seated table.

"Happy!" Rae shouts, thrusting both fists in the air and kicking her feet up like a child.

"Crazy!" He mimics, not nearly as enthusiastic as her, his hands raised toward the ceiling as well. Leo snorts from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Leo said you couldn't come over for dinner!"

Happy sits at the table beside her, across from Leo's seat, as the other man begins pouring some leftover dinner onto a plate for the newest arrival.

"I was caught up at work. I just got off," he explains simply, pulling the cloth off of his head to reveal his messy, wind-blown blonde hair. Rae grins, grabbing a piece of her sticky rice with her decorated chopsticks and holding it out in front of his face, offering it to him. Though the man sends her a dumbfounded look, as though he couldn't believe she would even think of feeding him like a child, he leans forward and eats the clump of food nonetheless, promptly pulling away the moment Leo walks into the room, a plate of warm food in his hand.

"Here, it's still warm," Leo explains shortly while handing the food to the man opposite of him. Happy nods his head, thanking him while taking the plate. Another cup is added to the table, and Rae leans forward to pour the tea.

Sitting back down, Rae grabs her utensils to eat more of her rice, pouring several of what little chicken slices she has left from her meal on top.

"You're supposed to eat it separately, Rae-chan," Leo corrects her.

Rae sticks her tongue out at him, several pieces of rice falling onto the table because of her movement. Leo makes a face of absolute disgust at the scene, and Happy nearly chokes on his rice behind her, laughing at Leo's discomfort. The two of them had been mercilessly teasing the neat man about his clean habits since day one, and they certainly wouldn't be stopping there.

He stands and makes his way to the cupboards to grab something to wipe the table clean with. Happy gives her a thumbs up from the corner of her eye.

"Don't encourage this behavior, Seiji! It's disgusting!" Leo scolds, only halfheartedly glaring at the two sitting at the table before him, as if the both of them were children. Technically, only one of them were.

"I happen to like the way she eats, Takechi," Happy muses, pouring his chicken on top of his rice the same way she had done just moments before just to spite the man. Rae swears she could see Leo's eye twitch while wiping down the table below her. She laughs anyway.

Grabbing a piece of chicken, Happy holds out his chopsticks to Rae expectantly. It doesn't take her any time at all to grin and do the same, bumping their food together in a mock way of clinking glasses together.

They both laugh when Leo comments about not being sure which one was more childish than the other.

* * *

((A/N: Leo and Happy totally adopted this amnesiac child and lived together happily ever after. That's totally what happened. Also a quick nudge to let you know that they both have actual names lol. Whenever it's in Rae's perspective they are going to be referred to as Leo and Happy, but in others' perspectives they'll be referred to by their actual names.

Which of my original characters is your favorite so far?))


	6. Not Friends

((A/N: Thank you for all the kind words from the last chapter! Hoo boy. This chapter isn't the thing I've been hinting at in the previous chapters just yet, but it sets up a few things that'll cause it. I hope you guys love this chapter as much as I loved writing it!

Ori Heartlyng- Thank you so much! I'm glad you like them. And I have no idea what ever you could mean by foreshadowing.. *innocent whistling*

BlackdoveWhitedove- Yeah I had gotten so used to calling them Leo and Happy that I had to go back to the first chapter to remember what the names I chose for them were lmao. I should have others talking to or about them so we can see their actual names being used more often. Happy would blush at being your favorite! He'd deny it, but he'd totally blush.

Bless You- Thank you! Happy has totally grown on you, hasn't he? I love him too.

* * *

Rae gasped out in pain, clutching her knee in one hand, a kunai held in the other. She hissed out a quick breath through her teeth, her skin dirty and dusty from being on the sandy ground. Her eyes narrowed, she glared at the offending opponent in front of her, a young boy scoffing at how weak she was. There was a sneer on the older boy's face, two kunai held in either hand in his lax position. She seethed, trying to push herself up onto her legs once more. She struggled onto her knees, her wounds burning from scraping against the sand as she pushes herself up. She takes the same position as before, kunai raised defensively in front of herself and her legs supporting her knee's length apart. The boy laughed.

"Why are you even here if you can't dodge a simple attack like that?" He asked, a mocking grin on his face. While Rae had multiple small cuts across her arms and hands and bruises across her legs, he had no wounds from the fight other than the small cut she had given him on his left wrist. It was small and would heal quickly, but she still felt a small sense of pride for it.

She stayed silent, locking eyes with him in a determined stare. When she didn't respond, the grin fell from the boy's lips and he glared.

"Not gonna talk? Fine..." He took up the same position as her, arms raised high to throw his own blades. "I'll just cut it out of you!"

He ran forward, one arm thrown back as he prepared to throw his kunai at the young girl. She tensed, eyes wide at his speed, before jumping back to avoid the thrown weapon. It narrowly misses her shoulder, and she wastes no time in staring in shock before she runs forward, her own kunai raised.

They meet in the center, kunai clashing together in a loud sound of metal hitting metal, grating on Rae's ears. Her arms shake with the force of trying to keep him back, a blatant show of strength. He was shocked for only a second before grinning, pulling another kunai out from his pouch, twirling it once in his hand before his hand rushes forward, preparing to hit her in the arm. She pulls off to the side just in time, pulling out two kunai from her own pouch and throwing them in retaliation. They both sail straight through the air and graze his lower cheek. Due to him twisting around in an effort to dodge the weapons, they collided midway, cutting a small, ragged 'x' into the bottom of his chin.

He rushes forward once more, and she does the same. As he rushes forward to hit her with his blade, she dodges, ducking under his arm and rolling on her back to end up behind him. In one fluid motion, before he had the time to register what had happened, she turned on the heel of her foot, thrusting her arm up to hold her kunai against the center of his back, one hand on the bottom of her weapon in a silent threat as he tenses, frozen to the spot.

There's a tense moment that passes in silence. Rae could see a bead of sweat running down the older boy's forehead as he stares at her in silent shock.

Suddenly, there was a loud whistle sounding behind the two of them, causing the both of them to flinch before pulling away from each other. As they turned and placed their weapons back into their bag, their current teacher overseeing the sparring matches stepped forward, whistle still in his mouth. He finally allows it to drop back down to its spot around his neck before he begins speaking.

"Rae is the winner of this match!" He speaks loudly, holding his hand up to Rae. She grins happily, panting heavily from the fight. The boy behind her grumbles angrily, glaring at the back of her head. The lights turn on around the room to reveal the other children from her class clapping and shouting out phrases of approval, kept in line by the other teachers present as well as the few medic nin standing off to the side.

As the lights turn on, the two children recognize this as the signal to leave the center of the room. The other boy hits the back of her head slightly with his hand as he passes by her, tongue sticking out. She ignores him, moving in order to run over to the side of the room with the other children. The teacher in the center of the room places his hand on her shoulder before she could pass, though, and she pauses, looking up at him with curious eyes.

"Good job, Rae," He smiles approvingly down at her.

He removes his hand and makes his way to the other teachers afterward, talking to them about the recent match that had just ended. Rae feels giddy as she runs over to the medic nin.

"Did you see me? Did you see me fight?" She asks excitedly, out of breath and bruised, but her eyes shone bright. Happy let a small smile cross his lips, but Leo did nothing to hide the excited grin on his features, leaning down to place his hand on her head, tussling her already messy hair. She laughs and he picks her up, placing her on the metal table they had nearby for wounded people to sit on while the medic nin worked on them.

The fights were mostly maintained by the various adults around the room, and while most attacks and hits are ignored by the teachers in favor of the children learning to deal with the pain, they would of course step in if anything too bad were to happen. However, it was a necessary precaution to have a handful of medically trained ninja on the sidelines just in case.

As Happy's hands began to glow in the faint, recognizable blue-green light of a medic nin's healing chakra, Leo praises the young girl,

"Of course I saw, I was watching the whole thing! You've gotten much better, Rae-chan." He smiles kindly, pride in his eyes as a father would to a daughter.

Happy gave her a sideways glance, jokingly whispering, "You're getting scarier with each passing day." She grins, leaning forward to chomp the air in front of him.

"Don't bite me while I'm healing you."

"Then stop healing me," she sticks her tongue out.

Happy glares, then pulls his hands back. The glow disappears from his hands and he holds them up as if surrendering.

"Fine, deal with the pain."

Leo immediately took his place, elbowing the other man in the side as he began healing the young girl's cuts and bruises.

"You really are doing well. I mean, how long have you been here so far?" Leo asks, absentmindedly running his hands over Rae's bruises to heal them.

Rae looked down to count on her fingers.

"Four, five, six... eight months!" She finally declared, holding up both hands to show her eight up turned fingers.

"Eight months of being a pain in my behind," Happy chides.

"Childishness aside," He gave Happy a pointed look from the corner of his eye, "You did well, Rae-chan. You're advancing quite fast," he smiles kindly. "Certainly faster than Seiji learned while he was in school." Happy immediately turned on the spot and reared his hand forward in order to hit Leo upside the head, stopping just short of hitting him when he remembered he was busy healing her. Rae let out a few smothered giggles.

"I learned plenty fast in the academy, thank you!"

"Not fast enough. I didn't even know you back then, but even I could see how you struggled to learn taijutsu. For someone who sure enjoys hitting people, it surprises me, really," Leo jests. His tone was sweet and innocent, and Rae laughed when Happy looked just about ready to explode. He opened his mouth to respond with something that was surely too violent to be said in a children's school, but stopped short when his name was called.

"Ah, Ryuu-san?" A hesitant voice calls from behind them. Happy turns to find the voice calling his last name. There, behind the three of them and holding a pen and clipboard in her hands, was a young woman that Rae immediately recognized. Her face lit up.

"Miyuki-chan!" Rae shouted at the woman she had come to recognize as a potential romantic interest for Leo. She had seen the woman several times throughout her many hospital stays, and had even kept in touch afterward.

The blonde woman smiled at the young girl sitting atop the table, but there was something off about it. She seemed sad. Rae immediately deflated a bit at seeing the sad smile.

"Hello, Rae-chan. I need to borrow Ryuu-san for a moment, if you don't mind?"

Rae simply watched as Happy followed her across the room and out into the hallway to speak privately.

"...What was that about?"

Leo hummed. He hadn't paused in his job to heal Rae's small wounds, but he had looked over his shoulder curiously when she had appeared.

"I don't know, Rae-chan. I'll find out later, I suppose."

"Un."

* * *

Leo didn't find out later.

Happy was gone with Miyuki for the rest of the day, and the day after that, and after that. It was a week later when he finally returned, a tired scowl on his dirty and bruised face. He had gone straight home and hadn't talked much throughout the small amount of time Rae had seen him- she and Leo had been at the market when he returned-, and she was worried. Leo seemed tense as well, not knowing what was the matter with his partner and friend.

Miyuki never returned. At least, not that Rae knew of. They replaced her with someone else at the medical center, a young boy who nervously glanced at everyone who got too close to him.

Now, it had been a week and two days since Rae's sparring match and she sat alone in her living room, Happy busy preparing a meal for her school lunch. It was early in the morning, early enough that the sun had yet to set in the sky. Rae was honestly surprised Happy was even up at this time of the day, but she supposed that being a medical ninja meant he had to get used to the same regime as Rae was being taught.

She toyed with her hair clip, something she had used often to keep her messy hair out of her face during school time. Leo had been called back to the med center a few days ago and had been absolutely swamped with work since, so he had hardly any time to come over anymore. Happy took his place in coming over to make her a packed lunch, but he worked the early morning shifts at work, so he couldn't walk her to classes like Leo did.

"Say, Happy..?" Rae murmured, kicking her legs back and forth as she repeatedly clipped and unclipped her hair accessory.

"Mm?" He responded absentmindedly, putting whatever meal he had prepared for her in her bento box. She didn't expect the meal to be very good, as Happy was not nearly as good of a cook as Leo was, but she would be fine with it as long as it was edible.

"Where did Miyuki go?"

He didn't respond for a while. The room went silent again, quiet enough to hear the repeated clicking of Rae's hair clip.

After a moment of silence, he sighed from the kitchen. Rae could hear his bare feet padding through the small home as he walked into the living room where she sat alone on a single cushioned chair. She didn't look up as he walked in and stopped beside her, or as he placed the bento box in her lap.

"Miyuki had to go somewhere, Rae-chan, somewhere we can't follow," he spoke quietly.

"But why?" She responded in a small tone. She had gone by and visited the med center several times since the last time she had seen the kind woman, but she never found her there. She had even run around the market and park areas before school, hoping to find her wandering about somewhere.

Happy was silent for a few seconds.

"Because she had a special mission," he finally responded. She didn't believe him. She knew he was hiding something.

"Why?" She asked, now looking up into his eyes. He looked sad, and tired. She didn't like this look on him.

"Rae-chan," he began softly, but Rae interrupted.

" _Why_ _?_ Where did she go? When will she be coming back?"

For a moment, he just stood there in silence, staring down at her with an unreadable expression. Finally, he knelt down to Rae's level, placing a hand on her head. It was warm and rough and comforting.

"Rae-chan, Miyuki is gone. Forever."

* * *

It took nearly four days for Rae to go back to school. Her academy understood that she was close to the young nurse who had passes away days before, and as such they were kind enough to grant her four days of leave, but no more as it was expected for a kunoichi to lose comrades in combat often. Students from her class came by her home and slipped sheets of paper with encouraging words on it under her door, leaving various gifts on her front porch. More often than not, they were sweets with promises that they would visit her once she was better.

When she finally returned to school, nobody bothered her for candy as they usually did. The teacher was kinder to her than usual, and nobody mocked or laughed at her when she answered a question wrong. The bullies were kind enough to leave her be for a while as well.

It took another two weeks after that to leave her home for something other than school. She searched through the playground for the red head she had come to know as a friend, and it was there she had found him, sitting alone in the playground while making sand castles the way she had taught him to.

Gaara looked up when he heard her approaching, and he smiled a wide, excited smile to see his friend again, as if he was oblivious to the pain she was in. She didn't smile back, opting to instead simply sit next to him, drawing her knees close to her chest and hugging herself as she looked at the intricate sand castle designs he had made. He had gotten so much better at making them than when she had first taught them to him.

The smile slipped from Gaara's face, and he looked sad and confused as to why she seemed so depressed.

"Rae-chan?" He asked, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy would. "What's the matter? Why are you sad?"

For a long while, she didn't speak. She looked into his eyes for a moment, and at his curious gaze, she narrowed hers and turned around, facing away from him.

"Seiji-chan told me about Miyuki..." She spoke quietly, voice hardly above a whisper as she stared down at the sand by her feet. She used Happy's real name rather than the nickname she had given him long ago, deciding that she didn't feel like it was right to use a silly nickname while speaking about such an important topic.

"Miyuki...?" Gaara asked quietly, curious about who she was referring to. Rae turned her head to the side, looking into his eyes again.

"The nurse."

Finally, Gaara seemed to understand who she was talking about. His face shifted from confused to shocked, then to sadness and to fear and finally settling on desperation. Tears immediately welled up in his wide blue eyes.

"Rae-chan-"

She stood up, clenching her fists as tears welled up in her own blue-red eyes.

"How could you, Gaara?" Rae asked, voice hoarse from tears barely restrained. Her hands were balled into tiny fists, shaking life leaves as she glared down at the boy in front of her.

Gaara clutched his shirt, as if he were about to feign a heart attack.

"Rae..." He whispered, not even bothering to attempt to say anything else. He was afraid, so, so very afraid.

" _You killed my friend!_ "

Gaara flinched at the sound of Rae's raised voice, slowly standing up as well. Sand shifted around his feet just slightly, a small enough movement that neither of them really noticed it. There were tears in his eyes that Rae was sure was blocking his vision, but she didn't care. He was clenching his small red shovel he had been using to gather up sand moments before in front of him, holding it close to his chest as if it would protect him from her hateful gaze.

"You killed her!" She shouted again, tears slipping down her cheeks. Her fists were clenched tightly enough that she could feel the burning in her palms that she had long ago associated with cuts. "She was so good and nice and friendly and you _killed her! You tore her apart! She's DEAD because OF YOU!"_

Rae's vision was blurred out by the tears spilling from her eyes and her legs were shaking but she didn't care. How could he? How could her first and closest friend kill someone she had cared about so much? Why would he do something like that? Did he hate her? Was he angry at her? Punishing her for something she had done? She brought her hands up in front of her chest and opened her eyes, only half aware of the sand rushing about the two of them quickly, cracking at the air like an excited whip. Gaara was sobbing openly in front of her and for just a split second she felt guilt at the pain she was causing him, but squashed it in a heart beat.

What about the pain he had caused her? What about the pain he had undoubtedly caused Miyuki? The pain he caused Leo, or Happy, or anyone else who knew the kind woman?

If everyone else had to be in pain, then he deserved to be in pain too.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew this wasn't true. She knew that he probably didn't deserve this. But she was emotional. She loved that woman, and she believed that perhaps Leo had really loved that woman too, and she was feeling the pain for the both of them.

" _I THOUGHT WE WERE **FRIENDS**!_ "

Gaara screamed and Rae screamed and she could hear the other children and adults that had gathered around to see what the commotion was about screaming as well as Gaara's sand exploded all around them, hitting many adults and children alike as fast as a kunai would have sliced through them, and Rae was aware of the burning pain on her own body but she couldn't feel it enough to care. She screamed and screamed until her voice was raw, and she saw Gaara lurching forward as he was buried in his own sand, a new, demonic presence taking form.

She saw him crying out in pain as his body convulsed and began to grow.

And then she saw black.

* * *

((A/N: Whoops. Okay so I know I said you would 'love' this chapter, but come on. You know you love it.

I also know I didn't put Miyuki in here nearly long enough for you guys to grow to love her so I know her death probably meant very little to you all personally, but the point of it was to mean a lot to Rae, which would, in turn, mean a lot to her relationship with Gaara. Yes, Gaara had attacked Miyuki, but, like with the playground children, it wasn't on purpose.

Anyway, this isn't even the most emotional thing that I have cooking up. I know this chapter is pretty short compared to my other ones(not even 4k words) but when The Thing finally happens, it'll be a long chapter so it'll be worth the wait. Just a few more chapters(I predict maybe two or three at the most) until it happens and then Rae will be off to other places (:

Question(I might do one of these for each chapter end): What do you think Rae's favorite color is? I'll put the answer to this question in the next A/N.

Ciao!))


	7. Interlude: Leo

((A/N: So! This chapter is extremely short, but I've hurt my hand and I can't really write with only one hand(I ain't that skilled haha) so this story might be considered on hold until I get better. I say _might_ be on hold because it was a few fingers on one of my hands that had gotten hurt, and I'm sure I'll ignore the doctor's advice and write stuff anyway haha. This short chapter is mainly here to tide you over for a little while, and to get this message out.

BlackdoveWhitedove- The babies are in trouble ): I'm glad I hit my target then. Maybe I'll draw that for you when I get a new tablet haha. Happy is a total tsundere for sure

Ori Heartlyng- R.I.P. Miyuki-chan, you were a cute potential ship... Also, for Rae's favorite color, you were close!

Rae's favorite color is green.

Enjoy this short chapter! A short chapter in Leo's perspective!))

* * *

It's been four days since the incident.

Gaara had become emotionally unstable and lashed out, killing several members of the Suna population before the surrounding Shinobi could stop him, even managing to take down more than a few of them as well.

Rae had been laying unconscious in a hospital bed for three and a half days, having only recently awoken from the living nightmare. She had taken one look around the room at the bleak, sandy walls and tiled floor and had sobered immediately. Her blue-red eyes went from tiredly confused to wide as understanding dawned on her, then lowered to a depressed haze as she sat up. Now, she had been sitting quietly in her bed for half a day, staring down at her bandaged hands. She hadn't spoken a single word since waking up.

Takechi was worried.

No, to say he was worried would have been a grave understatement.

He was beyond worried. He was panicked. He was scared.

Of course, he didn't let it show. He put on the passively calm face he had been taught to use when handling patients, and got to work on the wounded. There were a lot. There had never been this many wounded before when the Demon of The Sand had gotten angry and lashed out. There were never this many dead.

For a moment, a scowl filled his features before he smothered it down again. There were times where Takechi seriously had to wonder what went through that little girl's head, to have _befriended_ such a demonic thing. He had never agreed to it, to let her constantly hurt herself as she tried to show him the kindness of her heart. In his opinion, the little demon didn't deserve the kindness of Rae's heart. She was so good and innocent, and being around such a violent, possessive creature was, no doubt, tainting her mind.

She had been wounded so many times by that little demon. So many times had she been sent into his own care, unconscious and bleeding. He had grown to dread the moments he saw her in his workplace, always assuming the worse.

He knew. He had been trained not to get attached to a patient, because he knew what could happen. He knew it was not best for his own mentality, but he couldn't have helped it. She was such a bright, vibrant sight to see in such a dark and dreary place. It was a drastic change from the children who usually live in the desert he called home. It was drastic, yes, but it was a change that he had welcomed.

Now, he understood why he was taught to never be close to the patient.

He never expected something like this in his life. He had expected to see blood and gore and death when the siren came, warning the civilians to get indoors as the shinobi tried to reign in the beast that wore human skin, medic nin like himself working furiously to keep them alive for just a second longer. He had gone out and done his job. He was so used to it by now, so used to seeing so much blood and death and chaos in one space, that it didn't faze him in the slightest. He didn't really see them anymore, not really. He didn't see the people he had come to know as neighbours and friends. He simply saw the faces of the wounded.

He hadn't, however, expected one of the many faces to be the young girl he had grown to love as a daughter.

He wasn't trained in how to react to that situation.

But he had worked around that, somehow, and now it's been four days since then, since the heart stopping moment when he spotted the little girl looking paler than usual.

She still hasn't spoken a word, and has eaten the bare minimum require for her to stay alive, and has only occasionally taken sips of her bottle of water. She continues to stare wordlessly down at her hands, slowly tracing the lines the Demon's sand had made when it had burned her skin from friction.

Takechi isn't sure how she had lived for so long in these conditions, constantly being wounded by every little thing. Even with her kunoichi training, she's still as clumsy and naive as ever. She was still so young and innocent, and Takechi wasn't sure he approved of her learning how to maim and kill people in the first place, but it was what she wanted, and he gave in eventually.

And now she's seen first hand what the battlefield could look like.

He hopes this will finally cause her to wake up and snap out of her romanticized vision of what being a kunoichi is really like, but at the same time he hopes she will learn from this and grow stronger. But above all else, he wants to wrap her up in the plush blankets he knows she likes and feed her the sweets he knows she adores, and he wants it to stay that way forever. He doesn't want her to deal with these kinds of things. He doesn't want her to grow up before she could have a decent childhood.

But that was life in Sunagakure. Growing up before it was time.

He wanted to consult Seiji about this, possibly the only other person who had just as much experience in dealing with Rae as he had, but he was unavailable, as he had been most of the time for the past few weeks. Miyuki's death had hit everyone, as she was one of the kindest and well known individuals in the village, right up there next to Rae herself. But it didn't hit anyone as hard as it must have been for Seiji. They had known each other the longest, had gone to the academy together, had learned and failed and grown and had been childish with each other. Childhood friends, something Takechi had never had in his life, but knew it was a precious thing.

He sits behind his desk, filling and refilling each neatly stacked paper he had to for each and every patient that had crossed through his workplace. His hat was off and he knew his short, brown hair must have been a mess from how often he ran his hands through it- a habit he had sworn he had left behind long ago- and he squinted down at his pen. Seiji would have a field day in making fun of Takechi's age if he had learned of how his eyesight had begun to fail him. He'll need glasses soon enough, but that was one of the furthest things on his mind at the time.

He could only think of the little girl he left in the hospital room, eyes dead and dull as she traced the marks on her arms he knew would leave a scar even with healing. He could only think of the man who had isolated himself from even Takechi himself as he mourned the loss of his closest friend. He could only think of the little Demon who had rampaged through his home and tore the village apart to the roots not long ago.

He could only think of the recent information he had learned regarding the little girl he had grown to love as his own daughter.

He sighed, his chocolate brown eyes closing in defeat as he runs his hand through his hair once more before his head fell to the desk below him with a solid _thump_.

What the hell was he doing?

* * *

((A/N: Question: How old do you think Leo and Happy are? Bonus points if you guess what this 'new info' on Rae is. I'll put the answer to the first question in the next A/N.

See you guys in the next chapter, whenever that will be.))


	8. New Development

((A/N: Yo! Thanks to everyone who stayed patient while awaiting the next chapter. I'm surprised to say I'm fit enough to be writing so soon again! Honestly, my hand healed up real freakin' fast. Maybe I secretly have Kyuubi chakra inside of me...

Joking aside, though, here's the next chapter! This time exceeding that one actual 4.5k promise that I made ha ha. Finally. Anyway, there weren't any reviews on the last chapter(which I expected, since it was just a short Interlude/filler to tide you all over) so there are none to respond to, but I have been getting a few questions in my PMs and I wanted to share a couple of them with you all, in case anyone else was also curious about the questions and answers.

 _Will I be writing romance in this story?_ Yes. I said something about this in a previous A/N, but right now Rae is like 9 years old so there's not going to be any romance here yet, and there might be a crush or two when she's a pre-teen later on, but I don't think any _serious_ romance will really come out until she's at least 15-16 or so, like in Shippuden timeline. But, yes. Romance. It will happen. Prepare for it.

 _Is Rae going to become a shinobi?_ I think this could have just been answered by reading the story, but it doesn't hurt for me to answer it now, so. Yes. I intend to make her a shinobi, if you couldn't tell from the last few chapters in which she was sparring with classmates and learning about death and destruction. I'll try to avoid any main-character-has-plot-armor by making it seem as realistically possible in the Naruto-verse as I can, but you guys let me know if I occasionally slip up from time to time.

Answer to the previous chapter's question: Leo is 27, Happy is 28. There's a 7 month age difference, to be exact.))

* * *

Life was weird, Rae couldn't help but think. Little over half a year ago, she was sitting in a hospital bed, alone, confused, scared out of her mind, and feeling like she had nothing to live for. Now, little over half a year later, she was sitting in her home's bed, alone, confused, scared out of her mind, and feeling like she has nothing to live for.

Yeah, life was weird. Nothing has changed, yet it feels as though nothing is the same.

Rae sits atop her sheets and blankets, her pillow clutched tightly in her hands securely between her chest and drawn up knees as she stares out the window to her side, expression blank. It was not the carefully trained blank expressions she saw on the Suna shinobi while they worked. It was not the faked blank expressions she saw on the civilians when they were near the young red headed boy they came to know as a demon. It was an expression that showed exactly what she was feeling.

Nothing.

That isn't to say she was emotionless, she simply... chose not to feel anything in the moment. There were emotions there, she was vaguely aware of it, she knew they existed. Yet, as she gazed out the window into the night clouds, she wasn't really _seeing_ the night clouds. She didn't grasp onto the feeling of dread and despair she had been feeling for the last week since she had awoken from the hospital bed. She simply sat there, existing.

It was a weird feeling, to just simply exist.

Rae didn't know if she liked it. She probably didn't.

But she didn't think of that. She didn't think of anything, simply staring out the window, her grip on the lush pillow very lax.

It felt as though everything in her life had fallen apart in mere seconds. Everything she had known, everything she had loved and adored, was dead and gone, blown away with the wind or flushed down the drain. Everything was gone.

It had started with Miyuki, yes, but it certainly had not ended with her. Not after Happy had explained to her what Miyuki was doing when she was attacked by _him_.

She had known, of course. She had known it was a possibility. The medical staff of Sunagakure had put together a small poster about her when they had first found her, information and a picture included. The shinobi of Sunagakure had then sent it around, to each village that they weren't at war against, and asked them to spread the word. They had been looking for parents or family, someone to claim that Rae had belonged with them.

After eight months of living in Suna, she hadn't expected that someone would come forward.

Miyuki was dead, killed by her closest friend, and now she was being told she would be moved away, away from her home, from the people she _knew_ was her family - _real family_ \- and be forced to live with a couple of strangers and their child, all because they had claimed that Rae was their daughter.

She had so many questions. Were they really her family? If so, why was she in the desert? Why was she left alone covered in bruises and cuts, dehydrated and starved? Why was she on the brink of death eight months ago? Why hadn't she heard anything about this family in that time? Why only now? Why, why, why, why, _why_?

Why were they tearing her from her home? No family would do that, right?

Her grip on her pillow tightened, and her vision became blurry with wetness. A small amount of emotion being shown on her once carefully blanked out face. Her carefully constructed facade of calmness had cracked, and as a tear slipped down her cheeks, it shattered into pieces. A ragged sob escapes her throat, and she clutches the pillow tighter and tighter until she was sure she could tear it in half. Not that she would try, but she was sure she could.

She didn't dare turn away from the view of the night sky, hoping it would bring some sense of piece and familiarity to calm her. It only made it worse, reminding her of the little things she's going to miss.

Why did she have to go?

She knew, they had explained to her that this couple was her parents and they wanted her back home with them, but Rae did not see them as home.

She saw the desert as home. She saw these people as home. She saw this house as home.

Home was not a couple of strangers she was being forced into. If anything, it was quite the opposite. Did she get no choice in this? Did she not get to tell them how she had come to love this place and the people in it, never wanting to leave them?

Did her opinions and feelings go unnoticed?

A quiet shuffling in her living room reminded her that, no, her feelings didn't go unnoticed. Not by everyone, at least.

Happy shuffled himself into her room, dirty blond hair messier than usual and his brown eyes squinted in the light of the moon shining in through her bedroom window. She guessed her crying must have woken him up, for once he caught sight of her, his grumpy scowl left his face and he softened, letting out a quiet sigh. He trudged over to her, slouched as the remnants of sleep still kept his gaze hazy.

Reaching her, he placed a callous hand atop her head, simply resting it there for a second. It brought little comfort.

Sighing again, he lowered his hand, bringing it down to rest on her lower back, and another swept under her tightly drawn knees. In one swift motion, he lifted her from the bed, sitting himself down in her previous spot and resting the young girl in his lap. She didn't protest, simply clutching her pillow to her face now as she settled on his legs.

"Talk to me, kid," he muttered, voice just barely above a whisper. Somehow it felt fitting in the dark room.

For a moment, Rae was quiet.

He knew what was wrong, of course. He was the one who had to explain it to her. He was the one who broke the news to her, a sad frown etched onto his features as he tried to tell her as gently as he could. He was the one who let her lock herself into her room when she wanted to be alone. He was the one who offered to sleep on her couch, so she could talk to him at any time she needed, morning or night.

She stifled another sob, leaning into the warmth and caring embrace.

"I-I don't want to g-go," she whispered, words breaking at each sob that left her throat.

He didn't tense beneath her, he didn't sigh at her words. He didn't move or make any noises, patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Why d-do I have to? This is my h- _home_!" She let herself crack at the last work, voice cracking in anguish and the tears spilling freely from her eyes now, crying into her pillow that she held still clutched to her body.

"It always will be," He responded gently.

"T-then why do I h-have to leave my home?"

"Because those people care about you greatly, Rae. They love you from the bottom of their hearts, and they want you back in their lives."

Rae shook her head fervently. "I don't want them in _my_ life!"

"Now don't say that, Rae," he scolded quietly. "You don't know them, you don't know if you'll like them or not. They were your family before, and they still _are_ your family. I'm sure you loved them, and I'm sure you'll learn to love them again."

He swallowed roughly above her head, and she had the sneaking suspicion he wasn't as calm as he thought he was.

"Besides, maybe being around someone from before you showed up in Suna will make you remember things. Don't you want to remember yourself?"

Her response was immediate.

"Not i-if it means you won't b-be there with me."

There was no shouting, she kept her voice low and even, as if it wasn't a statement but, rather, a promise. As if she were resigning herself to be miserable if she couldn't stay.

His hands wound themselves around her smaller form, and she hugged back, dropping the pillow to the ground, forgotten as soon as she had another source of comfort to clutch onto. A sense of comfort to clutch onto and never let go of again. His head rested atop her own, his chin resting in her hair. He doesn't speak again, not for the rest of the night, and neither does she. At some point, he lays down, bringing her down onto the bed with him, and they both fall asleep like that.

Or, rather, Happy fell asleep easily like that. Rae could not. She could not even attempt to fall asleep that night, not while she knew what was going to happen soon. So, she stayed awake for the majority of the night. She listened to her family's heart beat, memorizing the sound of his breaths, memorizing the feel of his rough, sand scraped skin, the feel of his soft but torn clothing, the smell of medicine and burnt vegetables he always carried with him. She did her best to memorize each and every fact about him in this last instant, engraving it deep into her memories.

* * *

She leaves the next morning.

She clutches onto Happy's hand the entire walk there, to the waiting group of people awaiting her arrival. There was a plain wooden carriage there with supplies piled onto the back of it, tied to a freckled brown horse that she would have thought was beautiful if she weren't trying her hardest not to cry. The first rule of a ninja was to never show tears. There was a very small group of civilians standing around the carriage and wearing head scarves and masks made of cloth, and Rae knew they were travelers, leaving the desert with her.

Along with them was a team of three sand Shinobi, as Rae had been informed by the man beside her that her 'parents' - she still refused to refer to them as her actual _family_ \- has paid actual money for her safe return, meaning that it was technically being considered a paid mission. B-rank, she was told. She briefly wondered how much money they owned, if they were willing to waste so much of it for something like this. She had the brief thought that perhaps they should keep the money and just let her stay, but, no, she knew they were very strict on her arriving to their home safe and sound.

 _Konoha_.

The Village Hidden in The Leaves.

That was where her birth parents lived. Where she was told her younger brother - _she had a younger brother_ \- lived, and where she would be going to live with them.

She thinks it sounded dumb.

Sunagakure was a better name. A better home. It has better people. Better families.

Happy squeezed her hand gently when the young girl began sniffling beside him. She looked up at him with her wide, wet eyes, and she hoped that he would just take her home right now. Not to some village in a forest, not to a strange house filled with strangers she didn't know or care to know. Back to her real home. Back to the place she made all of her memories. Every waking moment, and every unconscious moment that she could possibly remember, she had spent in this desert. She tries to convey every one of these thoughts and emotions to the man holding her hand, all through her eyes.

He smiles at her and tells her to go sit on the carriage.

So she pulls her hand away from him with a heart wrenching sob, and walks forward quietly, shuffling her sandaled feet in the warm sand, as if to bury herself here. Maybe if she gets stuck in the sand she wouldn't have to leave.

"Ah, wait!" She can hear a familiar voice calling behind her.

Hope flutters in her chest, and she turns quickly to see Leo running up to the group. Happy had told her that Leo was too swamped with work to come see her off, and she had been so sad at the thought of having to leave her home and her family without being able to say goodbye to one of her family members before taking off to an unknown land.

Leo isn't quite panting when he gets there, but there is sweat on his brow and Rae knows she ran the whole way here. She supposes a perk of being a medic nin was being able to run long distances in a short amount of time without getting too tired.

Leo jogs up to her, going right past a relieved looking Happy, and kneels down to her level. He wraps his arms around her silently, and she returns the favor without a second thought, shutting her eyes as a tear finally slips past her eye lashes. There is a muttering behind the two of them, and whether it was the civilians watching the scene with sad eyes or the shinobi watching the scene and wondering when they were finally going to be going, she didn't know. She didn't quite care at the moment either.

A moment later, Leo pulls away, and there is a bright, if a bit sad, smile on his face. There's also a cool presence against her throat, and when she glances down, she realizes he had placed a necklace on her.

She looks back up at him with big, round eyes, and suddenly his eyes are wet too.

"To remember us by," he explains gently. Rae didn't bother telling him that there was no way she was ever going to forget them, so she nods silently in understanding. She reaches up and grips the necklace in her hand softly. It looked like a shined and polished rock, roughly the size and shined shape of a pearl, swirling with the many colors of the glittering red and orange sand in an intricate pattern of beauty, and she has to force down another sob before it could break free from her chest.

"It's clear glass filled with Suna sand," Leo explains, and though she doesn't look up from the small pearl of beauty, his voice breaks. "So you can always carry a piece of home with you."

Then, before she knows it, _before she is ready for it,_ she is sitting on the back of the wooden carriage and watching Leo and Happy wave her off as the horse trots forward in a slow pace. She can't tell whether she wanted the horse to speed up or slow down. She didn't know whether she wanted to make this moment longer, or get over with the heart wrenching pain as quick as possible.

In the end she had no choice either way, and within moments, both men are out of her sight, and with the new found knowledge that they could not see her break down, she let the tears flow freely. She didn't bother to muffle her sobbing or her openly pleading cries of anguish.

The shinobi hired to guard her looked increasingly uncomfortable under her gaze, as if they had no idea to console a crying child, and they shift uneasily on their feet, wishing to whatever god they believed in that they could suddenly just _appear_ in Konoha as if it would solve all their problems. It doesn't happen. One elderly woman with graying hair and obvious wrinkles stands out from the group of traveling civilians and approaches the girl, eyes sad and mouth drawn down in a saddened frown, as if she understood her, understood the thought of losing everything and everyone you loved in a day. The kind woman places her arms around the child slowly, as if afraid she may bite if she had gotten too close for comfort, and while the thought definitely fluttered across Rae's mind for a second - just a second - she doesn't. She doesn't embrace the woman back, but does not pull away either.

This woman is not her family, or even her friend. She is not her home. The comfort the kind old woman offers is little and hardly there, but if Rae focused on it for a fleeting moment, she swears she feels just the tiny bit better. She doesn't want to feel better. She doesn't want to let go of this pain, the pain of losing her loved ones, the pain of the dawning realization that she would probably never be seeing them again. So, in a fit of angry, childish fury, she lashes out and pushes the woman away with all her might. It isn't much, and the woman hardly moves more than an arm's length away from her, and Rae wants her to be angry at her for being so rude, but the old woman simply sighs, shakes her head with a sad frown, and begins to walk beside the carriage again.

Nobody attempts to console the crying girl for the rest of the trip. Two of the three hired shinobi run up to the front of the carriage with some half thought up excuse of watching for ambushes, leaving the third to amble around in confused terror at being stuck with a small, sad child.

It takes maybe an hour of dry sobbing into her hands before the young shinobi finally does something. He recognizes the girl, of course, who wouldn't? The Girl Who Not Afraid of Anything, the girl who tamed - _"Befriended," she would later correct him -_ the demon of the sand, the little girl who was so well known around the village hidden in the Sand because of her clever plots and mostly harmless pranks. The Shinobi of the sand had always joked about how much they so very badly dreaded having to clean up after her messes, because apparently having the Chief of the medical staff of Suna as her guardianship figure meant that she could often get away with many things, but while they joked about hating being around her, nobody really meant it. Not really. She was a bright, burning light in the dark desert, and everybody knew it.

The young shinobi felt uncomfortable in seeing such a light bright burn out in front of his very eyes.

So, naturally, it makes all the sense in the world to him when he takes off his ring - not a marriage ring, mind you, it was simply a decorative ring he thought had looked cool and decided to wear long ago - and slips it onto her left middle finger. The little girl pauses, freezing on the spot, before looking up. He has had more than enough training in the field to not immediately flinch away when he sees her red rimmed eyes and puffy, scratched up cheeks from where she had been continuously wiping away at them furiously.

"Ah," he speaks, then clears his throat because it's far too scratchy for his taste, perhaps due to not using it in a while. "Make sure to remember us Shinobi as well, Rae-san." His voice is still as high pitched and awkward as a teenager's would be, and he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly as he glances at anything but her.

It takes a moment for Rae to register what he had said and what he had meant by it, and when she finally forces herself to glance down at the ring that was far too big to fit her finger, she breaks out into tears again. The young boy is startled and nearly trips over his own feet, and he begins stammering some kind of an apology in order to make her stop, _just stop crying, please,_ because he doesn't know what he did wrong.

And then she hugs him tight and he gives up on understanding her. After she drained herself from crying on his shoulders, and after he had held himself back from wincing at the tears and snot he knew were on his clothing by now, she fell asleep on the back of the wagon, and the civilians graciously raised the roof of the small wagon so she wouldn't get sun burned. She sleeps for a few fitful hours before getting up and asking how long it'll take to get to their newest destination - she carefully avoided calling it her newest home.

"Not long," someone had responded.

She'd like to punch whoever had said that right in their lying face.

The trip to Konoha took a full week, if not even more than that, and probably half of another day if she was really paying attention. For the most part she sat in the back of the wooden carriage, only sometimes getting up to walk beside the horse - she pet it once, it had very soft hair - to exercise her legs so they wouldn't go numb from being in one position for so long. She especially didn't want to have to deal with pins and needles in her legs.

Her crying had subsided halfway through the second day, and while it was mostly on and off anyway, mostly as to when she was sitting back and thinking of how nice it would have been for some of Leo's cooking or hearing Happy's voice telling her to stop doing something they both knew she would never stop doing, it had still left her feeling emotionally drained and tired. She slept through most of the second day, and then asked if she could ride the horse on the third. They'd said no, of course, because the horse wasn't really meant for riding, it was meant for pulling carts. It had made perfect sense, but it still left her feeling slightly sad. She rarely saw horses in this world, and while they had always looked beautiful even in the pictures alone, she would have liked to ride one in person.

At one point she convinced one of the Sand Shinobi, an older one not the younger boy who gave her the nice new ring she loved, to give her a piggyback for the whole day. They grumbled and groaned about the 'unfairness of the situation', but never made her get off of their backs at any point in the trip, so she considered it a success. She also considered that these Shinobi would have a lot more friends if they weren't so grumpy all the time and complained about every little thing she did. It was mean.

Rae spent the rest of the trip doing random things at random points in time. Sometimes she played games with the other civilians, sometimes she raced one of the Shinobi to a faraway rock she could see(she definitely always lost that game), and sometimes she hummed songs to the tired travelers. Deep down, Rae knew that doing these silly, random things on the trip to a stranger's home didn't make her forget her true home and the people she was leaving behind, she was _losing,_ but if it made her feel better at the time, then so be it. She would continue doing silly and random things at certain points on the trip to a strange land.

Or at least she thought she would, until the desert gave way to dry, dead grass, which then gave way to lush, green grass swaying in the wind, and before she knew it, she was at the gates of Konoha.

* * *

((A/N: Surprise! This was the thing. She's going to Konoha to meet her 'blood family' (:

Question: If I made a tumblr account for this story, would any of you be interested in it? It would include warnings for updates, sometimes a bit of previews, small fillers / tidbits / drabbles I wouldn't be posting in the story itself, and, of course, I would be posting my own art there as well as answering some of your guys' questions. I probably won't do it if nobody wants it, because there's no point in making something that would require constant updating if nobody was going to like it, so I figured I'd ask before making it. If I do make it, I'll leave the name of the tumblr in the next A/N, so let me know if you guys are interested!

Another question: Who do you think will be the first person Rae will meet in Konoha? Hint: It may or may not be one of the Rookie 9. Wink, wink.))


	9. A Different Family

((A/N: Another update! Woot. I seem to be getting these out at a pretty quick pace now a days huh? I wonder why I have so much motivation now.

Maybe it's because, I dunno, the fact that this story is dumb enough to have oVER 100 FOLLOWERS? Like... _shit._ I didn't expect this to go anywhere lol... I can't even properly say thank you to you guys like I would want to! All I can do is just... flail my arms around and scream HOLY HELL YOU GUYS ARE SO FREAKIn' GREAT at the top of my lungs! So, that is what I shall do. To show my appreciation, of course.

Anyhow, my gleeful stupidity aside, responses to reviews:

Kejmur- I suppose that's a good guess, but she doesn't really have blond hair, right? It's white, which is just a slight difference. Also, I didn't intend to give you the impression that she would be living with one of the rookie 9's families, just which one of the rookies she would meet first. Her family will all be original characters made by me, not actual character that were a part of the show.

Blackdove Whitedove- 'because youth' is a very good reason why she would meet Lee first. Also, the idea of her learning puppets in memory of her home in Suna had already crossed my mind! I was strongly considering it beforehand, but I might actually do it now since it was also asked for. I won't make any promises though, I'm still hashing out what kind of abilities she'd have.

Also, I created a Tumblr for the story. The tumblr is, of course, TheHigherWeClimb. For lack of a more creative name lol. I have one post up, and I reblogged something from another Naruto blog, but that's about it. I'd welcome any and all asks or submissions!

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

By the time Rae is hustled up to the gates of her new village - _not a home,_ she'll remind herself, _never a home_ \- she is hungry and exhausted and wants nothing more than to lay down in a soft comforter and sleep for weeks.

The three shinobi hired to look after her during her trip saunter up to the desk in front of the gates, two Konoha shinobi sitting behind it. The Konoha ninja stare at the group of travelers warily, as if they were afraid that the Sand shinobi would attack at any second. Instead, the three ninja place a closed and tied scroll down onto the table, glaring down at the two with just as much wariness and distrust as they had been shown moments before.

One of the Konoha members picked up the scroll and begins unwinding it to read the message marked as an official message from the Kazekage of Sunagakure, as the other keeps a wary eye on the trio before them.

A moment of tense silence goes by before the one reading the scroll takes one look at the group of tired travelers, locks eyes with the little girl in the center of the mass, and nods once with a determined look on his face.

"Sorry for the trouble," he speaks tersely, looking a lot less tense but still slightly wary, and heads to the closed gates of the village. The other shinobi on guard duty looks confused, but doesn't attempt to stop his partner. Rae was told by one of the Sand ninja that trust is a thing they valued well in this village.

She jumps off the back of the carriage and makes her way to the front, standing behind the young boy who gave her the ring. She had never asked for his name, afraid that it would just become another name she cried out for when they were gone, but she had come to know him as a friend.

Gripping onto the back of his sleeve, he sent a small wary, but gentle smile down at her. She responds with a curious look. He reaches behind her and pushed her forward a few inches, in front of him.

"This is your new home, Rae-san. These nice shinobi will escort you to your family now," he explains gently, and Rae is certain he only referred to them as nice in an attempt to calm her down. _Not a home_ , she wants to tell him. She stays silent instead, though, and lets go of the tattered grey sleeve she had been gripping. She didn't bother looking back at them as she walked forwards, grabbing onto the outstretched hand of one of the Konoha ninja. She didn't know him, but she needed the comfort that physical attention gave.

It turned out that 'escorting' Rae to her new family was unnecessary, as the moment the other shinobi opened the large, green gates for the village, Rae immediately noticed the small family of three standing there with hopeful looks on their faces. The woman standing there raises her hands to her mouth and Rae can see the tears falling from her eyes the moment their eyes lock. The older woman lets out a choked sob at the sight of the little girl, and Rae feels uncomfortable.

Her uncomfortable feeling in that moment meant nothing compared to what she felt like when the woman ran forward and enveloped her in her arms, openly sobbing into her hair.

"My baby girl! My little girl, oh my- my little kitten," She sobs, not really making any sense in Rae's opinion, but she hugs back anyway, dropping the shinobi's hand.

The woman's hair was, Rae realized, the same color as her own. A clean, pristine white that was smoothed back and over her shoulder, running all the way down to end just past her waist. It was much cleaner and pure looking than Rae's own white hair, as her hair had always been dusted with the golden sand from the desert, and still had specks of it in there. Pulling back, the woman smiled her ice blue eyes down at the little girl, and Rae is confused. This is her? Her... _her mother_? She certainly looks like she could be, with the same white hair that always stood out in Suna, and her facial features looked similar, but the eyes were a definite surprise. Rae's own eyes were a vibrant, deep blue, like an ocean. This woman's eyes were bright like ice or snow.

Rae is aware when the man behind her steps forward, holding a small bundle in his arms. A baby. Her baby brother. She didn't expect him to be an actual _baby_ , though.

The man holding the baby had the same bright blue eyes shining with unshed tears of joy, although he instead had a deep, dark blue shade of hair rather than the white of the woman, and Rae is startled. Sure, her own white hair was odd, but _blue hair_? Who had blue hair?

The man steps forward and kneels down next to the woman, placing one hand on Rae's shoulder as the other keeps the baby up - who, she notes, also has the same deep blue hair, and she is bewildered - and the lines under his familiar eyes, _her eyes,_ lets her know that he did not get much sleep. Was he worried about her? Did he care about her?

A flush of something warm spreads throughout Rae's small chest at the thought of these strangers actually caring about her and worrying for her, and she is almost happy. Almost, but not quite.

"It's good to see you're okay, Keiko," he speaks happily, and Rae almost smiles to see his caring look.

And then she blanches.

"Who?" She asks before she can catch herself. Keiko.

Both of the adults look momentarily shocked, but the man catches on quicker than the woman.

"Keiko, sweetheart," he explains gently. "Your name...?"

The question in his tone means he was definitely unaware of her memory loss. Rae is silent for a moment, seemingly shut down from the outside world, before she tears herself away from the woman's grasp. Her hands follow the girl, trying to pull her back, but Rae takes large strides backwards, and when her back hits the front of the Konoha shinobi behind her, she turns on her heel.

Keiko. Keiko.. _Keiko. KeikoKeikoKeiko..._

The Suna shinobi are gone already and the travelers are signing themselves in, some of them already gone as well, and one of the Konoha ninja smiled down at her in sympathy.

"Keiko, what's the matter?" The woman asks, a tinge of worry in her voice. "Sweetheart, please, come home with us, we'll fix you up a meal right away. How about some melon balls with honey, hm? Your favorite?" There is an almost pleading tone to the woman's voice, and Rae is angry because _how does she know what her favorite food is,_ _she shouldn't know this_.

"I'm n _ot_ ," she mutters under her voice, still looking at the Konoha shinobi's legs as if it will make her feel better. It really didn't. She whirls on her heels and shouts at the pleading couple,

 _Who the **hell** is Keiko_

"I'm not Keiko! I'm Rae!"

And for a moment, both of the parents look so absolutely shocked that they don't bother to comfort the now crying baby boy in the man's arms. The woman breaks down into tears again and the man looks like he can't decide whether he wants to be depressed or angry.

It didn't matter either way. Rae was taken to the nearby Konoha hospital at the urging of the crying woman, and the Shinobi at the gate was the one to escort her there. The moment the doors opened Rae was hit with faint nostalgia. It's a ridiculous thing, she thinks, to be attached to a hospital, especially considering she was in pain every step of the way she was in one. It just seemed all too familiar for her to find it worrying. She almost expected to see Leo fussing over her nonexistent wounds as Happy went on another rant about being in the hospital _again._

It's a few hours later when Rae see's the young couple again. _Too young,_ she thinks. _Too young to have two children._

The medic nin had run many tests on her, mostly to gather blood and tissue samples and to ask her a multitude of questions - her answers were not the same as before. _Where do you come from?_ Suna. _Family?_ Leo and Happy. _How old are you?_ Nine. She remembers this because Happy once told her she looked just as excited to be in a hospital as Leo did when he was her age.

The medical ninja pursed their lips when Rae told them her home was in the desert and so was her family, but they said nothing. Nothing to her, at least. She heard them muttering to each other on the way out. It didn't take a genius to know what they were speaking about.

And soon, _too soon_ , the young couple is rushing into the room to see Rae _their daughter_ again. Rae wants to tell them that she is not their daughter, not anymore. She wants to tell them to quit wasting their time because she is not the same as who they think that she is. She is not the same that they want her to be.

"Oh, sweetheart," the woman cries out, sitting on the bed beside her and clutching the young girl to her chest. For once, Rae thinks she might mind the closeness of the situation. She has always found physical affection to be calming, but now she can think of nothing but how much she wants to be in Happy's arms again, or have Leo mussing up her hair as he usually does.

"Don't you remember your family?"

 _Sure I do,_ she wants to say. _You forced me to leave them behind_.

But she doesn't say those words. She knows they wouldn't understand, that it would only make them hurt more. She doesn't know them and she doesn't love them, but she doesn't want them to be in pain any more because of her. Not when she knows for a fact that it's all her fault that they are in pain, and that she could stop it with a few simple words.

Instead she's silent, gripping onto the blue kimono's sleeve that the woman before her wore.

The man brings the same baby as before over to the bed as well, and the woman sits back for just a moment as the man leans down and places the baby boy in Rae's arms. For a moment Rae doesn't know what to do, _she's never held a baby before_ , but that thought leaks from her mind when the baby raises his chubby little arms and smiles at her.

And then she's crying and she doesn't know why.

* * *

The couple stay with her until it gets well past dark out, and even when the nurses come to tell them visiting hours are over, they extend the stay for just a moment more.

And then Rae is left alone, in the dark once more. She had a lot of information to process.

 _A clan_ _?_

Rae had learned about clans in the Academy back in Suna. She had learned about how they passed down amazing abilities unique to their clan name to each generation to come. She had learned about how people of clans almost always had a distinct look to each other, so they are almost always easily recognizable.

Then she thinks, if she was really part of some Konoha clan, why was she not recognized sooner? Was Suna not familiar with the Konoha clans? Did they know all along?

And then she is angry at herself because _how dare she think such things about her own home._ Of course they didn't know. Of course.

The woman's name was Shimizu Emiko. It sounded like such a fancy name to Rae, that she had such a hard time believing someone like that cared about someone like her.

 _A clan._

The man's name was Shimizu Kazuhiko. Another fancy name.

She had a baby brother named Shimizu Jirouko.

 _She was the heir to a clan_.

It made her sound almost like royalty, to her. She didn't know if she liked it or not, but she knows she suddenly feels weighed down. An heir to a clan. She was told her blood line was a rather small clan, being not all that well known, but she still felt as though it was a huge burden. Rae finds herself rethinking about why she was so far away from Konoha eight months ago. A few thoughts of running away from home fly across her mind for just a heart beat before she shakes it from her mind.

She knew nothing about her clan, other than the tradition to have a name ending in -ko. _Keiko._

And then she's still, glancing at the open window of her hospital room.

The Konoha hospital was much cleaner and pristine than the Suna hospital rooms. Not to say Suna hospitals were dirty, they were as clean as could be for a desert, but there was still sand and dirt all over the place despite the buildings being swept down several times a day. They always assumed it was because of how people dragged dirt and sand in through the doors when they come in. Because of this, Suna hospitals looked like just as much of a desert as it did outside. Konoha hospitals, though, were all white and light grey, and Rae swears she could see her own reflection on the tiled floor without even focusing on the image. The hospital sheets were neat and folded without a single wrinkle, something even Leo would be jealous at. In fact, Rae thinks Leo would love this place, what with how neat it was.

She allows herself a small, sad smile at the idea.

Happy would laugh at the thoughts racing through her mind. He'd tell her she didn't have nearly enough grace and manners to be _royalty._ She would agree with him. Leo would no doubt thwack him on the shoulder and tell her she could be anything if she tried hard enough. She would laugh at the both of them until her sides ached and they would join her, and she would hug them and she would be at home and at peace and she wouldn't be in a strange village, surrounded by strange people she didn't know and didn't even want to know.

She looks out the window, over the quiet village of Konoha.

It seemed so peaceful here, Rae can't help but notice. It was nothing like the loud chattering of the sand being thrown by the wind in the desert, where you could hear the wind howling through your closed windows. No, Konoha was not like the noisy desert sounds she was used to. Konoha was quiet and still, as if the entire village has gone to sleep for the night, joining the tired civilians in their peaceful slumber.

This was, again, something she could not tell if she enjoyed or not. She missed the noisy nights in Suna, but now, here in the quiet village of Konoha, she can hear herself think clearly like she never had before.

Perhaps she was thinking _too_ much. Maybe that was the issue.

She bites down on the bottom of her lip, her brows creased down in something akin to worry, or confusion. Or perhaps something like a mix of the two emotions. She closes her eyes, the image of the dusty desert full of golden brown and yellow sand over riding the images of a lush green village in the center of a large forest.

No, she definitely did not enjoy this. She missed her home. She missed her family, her _real family._ Not her blood, no, she missed the people she knew would have her back and would throw themselves into trouble for her sake. The same people that she would throw herself into trouble for them as well, no matter how much they would get angry at her for doing so. That was family, not some posh, rich couple with far too much free time on their hands if they can bother spending months hunting her down.

Somewhere she thinks she's being unreasonable. She thinks, deep down, that she knows that the nice couple were really very worried for her, something even a small child like her could see on their tired faces that spoke of little sleep and far too many wrinkles from worry and stress.

And somewhere, deep down, she also knows she really doesn't care. She thinks she spends far too much time worrying about others. It was something she didn't care about back in Sunagakure, her home, because it was the people she loved that she was worried for, but here, in this strange land, she doesn't want to care about these strangers. Rae thinks she has the right to, for once, only worry about herself. She is, after all, a child. Even if sometimes she has small moments where she feels as though she is much older than she really is, she is still a child. Children cry. Children mourn. Children get emotional, and nobody can fault them for doing that. Nobody can fault Rae for quietly sobbing into her pillow case when she is alone.

* * *

She is taken to the - _her_ \- clan grounds the next morning. She was released early in the morning, considering there wasn't much they could do for amnesia. The young couple had cried, for sure. She could see the puffy red eyes on the woman's face, even as she plasters a fake, cheerful smile onto her features for Rae's sake. She could see the raw, scratchy red marks from where the man had furiously wiped away at his eyes, even as he welcomes Rae into his arms lovingly.

They were huge.

The clan grounds, that is. Not the couple's obvious attempts at hiding their raw emotions to hear that their daughter didn't remember them. Though, now that she thinks of it, their attempts were also pretty big.

But, no. Back the the clan grounds.

Rae could see the cluster of houses before they even got there, walking side by side in between the two adults. Her baby brother - _the only one she was willing to call her family_ \- was obviously left at home when the couple came to pick Rae up from the hospital earlier that morning. With a babysitter, perhaps. Hopefully.

There was a large pathway leading up to the clan grounds, the paved ground neat and even, not a single pebble out of place to trip over. There were cherry blossom trees set in a symmetrical and very neat pattern all along the pathway, the ground being littered in falling pink petals. Rae had to admit that she thought the walkway was absolutely breathtaking. There was nothing like this back in Suna, where there was hardly even a single patch of grass growing anywhere outside. They had had to use indoor gardens to grow what little produce they could create themselves, the rest of it being bought and traded from outside sources.

But this...

Rae reached her small hand up, gripping onto the man's sleeve to her side. She can feel him still under her grip, and she hears a small, quiet, sharp intake of breath from the woman. Rae might have even seen a few fresh tears on her lashes, if she bothered to look up. She didn't, though. She continued walking forward, almost pulling the stumbling man alongside her as the couple shared a meaningful look. Probably something along the lines of _she cares about us again._

The man grips Rae's hand back, and begins leading her down the path to the front gates of the clan grounds, a new, cheerful bounce to his step.

The gates to the grounds were just as beautiful and breath taking as the path in was, with large, shiny white gates decorated in deep, dark blue petals mixed in with white flowers. Rae begins to suspect that the colors of dark blue and white might be the 'familiar look' she had been looking for, knowing that all clans had some kind of look that made them unique, standing out from the rest of the crowd. She didn't mind these colors. She thought they went well together.

When the woman stepped forward and opened the gates, there was a swell of people with similar features and bright smiles lining their faces as the trio stepped through the open gates. There were plenty of adults and elderly people, but Rae saw no other children. At least, nobody below the age of roughly 16 or 17, and there was maybe only two or three of them, probably. She could immediately see herself getting bored here, with no one else here being her own age.

At once, the group of familiar looking people - _she was beginning to notice that all the females had white hair and all the males had the same deep blue hair, and immediately she sees the 'clan look'_ \- surge forward, all beginning to talk at once with bright smiles on their faces and a thousand questions on their tongues. Immediately, the two adults by her side rush forward and hold their hands up, excuses about ' _oh, she's very tired, she needs to rest at home,'_ or _'she has just come from the hospital, she needs to be alone'_ on their lips, and Rae can practically _hear_ the disappointment and mixed confusion from the - admittedly small - group of people. Rae sends one small, curious look over her shoulder as she is dragged away by the two adults. They are now both holding one hand each, something that Rae does not miss. Nor did she miss the happy smile on the woman's face. If she chooses to pretend as though she didn't notice it, that was her own choice.

What she certainly can't pretend that she didn't notice was the large home she was whisked away to. She had already figured that the head to the clan would have the largest, most luxurious home out of all of the houses, but she had never expected to see this towering _mansion._

The front door was a creamy white mixed in with the same deep blue that she had already gotten familiar with, the colors swirling down into a small pattern that reminded Rae of the Yin and Yang symbol. Similar, but not the same. The rest of the house was the same, with swirling patterns and vibrant colors practically screaming to be looked at. The inside of the house was the complete opposite. While the outside of the large home was vibrant and eye catching, the inside was filled with warm, homey colors, warm mahogany tables and chairs, wooden floor boards with small, yellow and green pillows for sitting on by the lowered table. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling were extravagant and large, unique glass patterns flowing down each side to spiral down into the same almost Yin and Yang symbol. Perhaps that was her clan symbol? She had yet to learn what it was.

Another thing Rae could not ignore once inside the home was the very obvious out of place woman, holding a baby. Her baby brother, she notices. Rae lets go of the hands from both adults and walks forward, reaching up for the baby she had already claimed as her family. The woman looked confused and, for a second, worried about what to do, before the woman speaks up behind her.

"It's okay, Mikoto-san, please hand him over to Keiko."

Rae is so happy to be allowed to hold the little baby she loved already that she doesn't bother to get angry at being called the wrong name again. Although, she does, admittedly, file that away deep to the edges of her mind and tells herself to remind the two adults about what her actual name was at some point or another. It wouldn't do for them to keep confusing her for someone else that she wasn't. It would only bring them grief, she knew.

The moment she had the little boy in her arms, she walked off to explore this new house on her own. She knows it must be rude, taking the couple's child and walking away without a word or explanation, but she didn't feel like being social with strangers at the moment.

So, instead she walked through the lovely, large home, trying to engrave each step she took to her memory in the hopes of not getting lost in the future.

Perhaps an hour and a half after she had begun walking around aimlessly, Rae deems the house completely explored, and sits down in a random hallway, cradling the baby in her lap, sitting up to face her. His eyes were open, as they had been throughout the entire exploration, and he smiled and began babbling at her, holding his hands out to grab at her. She leans forward gently, her hands holding onto either side of the bundle of baby and therefor unable to entertain him. That's alright, though, as he apparently found it just as funny to grab onto the edge of her nose and tug, hard.

She winces, but laughs quietly.

"Jirouko, hm..?" She mutters under her breath, a small, airy smile on her lips. "Little Jirou-chan..."

* * *

((A/N: Woo. This one was a little difficult for me to write, actually. It just felt wrong in so many places, and I've gone over it so many times but I can't even see what's wrong. Let me know if something seems off or dumb to you guys, it just feels... dumb.. y'know?

Anyway, Rae is in denial and in love with her baby bro. Her clan is called the Shimizu clan(Shimizu translating roughly into 'clear-or-pure water' which may or may not have been on purpose. I will explain more about this small clan in future chapters, and hopefully I can get a few doodles up on my tumblr account so you guys can see what Rae looks like and what her clan symbol looks like(I know I wasn't very detailed in explaining what it looked like, whoops), so look for those on there.

Question: If Rae is five years older than the Rookie Nine, how do you think she'll meet some of them, since she obviously won't be meeting them in the academy?

Peace.))


	10. Not Settling In

((A/N: First things first! I created a side story called Naruto Tidbits, which will be lots of little stories I felt like writing for Naruto. Go check it out yooooo

Another update for you cool nerds. I'm really hoping to start showing Rae's own kind of character development here. I don't want her being torn away from her home and family in Suna to be something she just _gets over_ in a few chapters, you know? It's going to permanently mark her and change who she is as a person, and I really hope I showed that in this chapter and in the future chapters as she changes. I also wanted to show how she legitimately thinks that her and Keiko are two separate people. Let me know what you guys are thinking. Responses to reviews!

Blackdove Whitedove- Sweet! My first follower :D (other than a tumblr bot that started following me the day before) Thanks! Your suggestions to how she'll meet the Rookie 9 gave me a lot of ideas on how to introduce them to her lol. Also, nonsense! Reviews are never too long or too much. I love the long ones, especially!

Warlord of Chaos- Surprise, surprise! You guessed right! Well, you guessed right in the fact that the Mikoto from the last chapter was Sasuke and Itachi's mom, but I won't tell you if your guess about the Rookie 9 were right or not. That's a surprise 8^) Also, thank you for the compliments! I'm glad you liked Rae's struggles lol. And your English isn't too bad, friend! A few words were misspelled but other than that it was really great.

May525- Wow, the idea of babysitting and clan meetings are pretty popular among you guys, huh? One of the two is definitely going to happen, though, so I guess you were kind of right :)

Not going to answer the last chapter's question here because it's something you'll see in time :)

ALSO, not too important but a difference you will definitely notice! I'm changing the whole name thing, so instead of writing it in the traditional last name ; first name scenario, it'll be the familiar first name ; last name we all know and love. I might go back and change it in the previous chapters(might, haven't made up my mind yet) but I just wanted to let you know in case you were confused about it later on. It's just easier for me to write. Hope it doesn't jar you all too much.

Enjoy the chapter! Thanks for all your kind reviews from the last one too! They made me smile like the total doofus I am!))

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Rae often times found herself at odds with herself.

Settling into her new house was, in turns, both too easy and too difficult at times. She honestly didn't know which one she would have preferred. On the one hand, she felt as if it were some kind of betrayal, to get over her home in the desert so easy and move into this forest lifestyle so easily. On the other hand, the couple she had grown to acknowledge as her _birth parents_ had been giving her a wide berth of space ever since coming to Konoha, so Rae hadn't felt too pressured or shouldered with responsibility that she felt a clan heir should have been feeling, and it made it almost easy to slip into a normal routine here.

The only thing Rae found herself okay with in this new home was the little bundle of babbling drool she had come to know as the brightest light of her life. Rae could not really explain it, per se, or put into words why she had made such an immediate connection to little Jirouko, but she knew that she was sold the second she saw his chubby hands reaching for her in the morning, calling out to his big sister to let him out of his crib in a kind of babbling nonsense only a baby could understand.

Of course, Rae was no fool. Not completely at least, as she would grudgingly admit she could still have the wool pulled over her eyes many times, but that was besides the point. The point is that she knows.

 _She knows_ the looks her 'clan' had been giving her since the day she arrived, since her _parents_ had suspiciously disappeared for a few hours - _leaving the strange black-haired woman with her and Jirouko_ \- and then suddenly the rest of the clan had known about Rae's amnesia and her difficulty to 're-immerse herself into her old life due to false information regarding Suna'.

False information her rear. The desert was her home, plain and simple. It always was, for as far as she was concerned, and as far as she was concerned, it always will be. Konoha was nothing more than a stepping stone that Rae knew she would overcome sooner or later.

But, she looks down at the baby in her arms, maybe not every _part_ of Konoha was just a stepping stone. Maybe a few pieces of it were pretty pebbles that she would collect and take with her. And maybe, just maybe, those pretty pebbles would be as much of a part of her home as the desert had been.

"Rae-chan," a voice spoke quietly and gently from behind where Rae sat. It was exactly four days after she had first arrived in Konoha and in her new 'home', and Rae had been gently rocking Jirouko to sleep while watching the sun rise in the early morning, something she had done for the past three mornings in a row. She found it often helped to clear her head, and Jirouko never seemed to mind. If anything, the little baby boy seemed to love it as much as she did, using the quiet, peaceful time to have a nice nap.

Rae lifted her head, turning it slightly to glance at the almost familiar sounding voice behind her, over her shoulder. A beautiful, grown woman stood on the front porch behind her, shoes off and stained white apron on over her dark clothing. She had a warm smile that Rae loved.

"Mikoto-san," Rae greeted with slight warmth in her voice. She was a kind woman that Rae adored, yes, but she had not known her nearly long enough to treat her with the same love and adoration she treated her own family with.

Mikoto Uchiha smiled warmly at the young girl, and Rae let a smile slip back. In the short span of the four days she had been here, she had learned that Mikoto Uchiha was a friend to Rae's birth mother, Emiko, and had been babysitting little Jirouko while the couple had gone to pick up Rae from the hospital that day. Since then, she had apparently taken a liking to Rae - _or,_ Rae some times thinks bitterly, _she only feels pity for her and it manifests as kindness in the eyes of a child_ \- and had stayed over for a few afternoons to look after the two young children as the parents had to fix a few things, some clan matters or something, she hadn't really been paying attention because she really didn't care.

Despite the fact that Mikoto had been acting as a glorified babysitter, Rae had learned the woman actually had two children of her own, and Rae felt maybe the slightest, little niggling of guilt for taking away someone's mother like that. Maybe.

She squashed that feeling down and replaced it with the grateful pride she felt when Mikoto took to calling her by her real name, Rae, rather than the frilly name her parents had taken to calling her. _Keiko._ Rae found that she didn't even like that name.

"Breakfast is ready," the kind woman informed her, the same gentle smile on her features that Rae felt as though the smile belonged, that any other emotion would have been so out of place on the woman.

Rae nods once, the same smile on her face as well, although now she couldn't help but feel like it had taken a bit of effort to keep it there. She wondered why.

She lets Mikoto-san take Jirouko away, confident that the older woman would take care of the little bundle of joy just as well as she could have, if not better, before she began climbing inside the house to eat whatever breakfast the woman had prepared that morning. The usual, she noticed. Two scrambled eggs and a side of cut up fruit, with a glass of cold juice, of course. Rae began digging into it methodically, as if it were out of necessity rather than out of a want to do so.

"You really should reconsider your choice, Rae-chan," Mikoto-san spoke up gently from the other side of the room where she watched Rae eat with a sharp, calculating look that Rae didn't think fit her beautifully dark eyes. It reminded her of the small fact she had learned the same day she met Mikoto-san, that she was also part of a clan. A very large and powerful one at that, as she had been informed. She was the wife to the head of the clan, the mother to the heir. That was important enough for the woman to have an air to her that demanded respect and to not let your guard down around her, but the fact that she was from a clan known for their intelligence and ruthlessness in battle was often lost on Rae.

Then Rae remembers the conversation, takes a second to process what Mikoto had said, and promptly let a bitter scowl cover her smooth, slightly tanned features. Mikoto sees this, and promptly ignores it in favor of sighing in a fashion that Rae thought might have been slightly over dramatic.

Rae didn't need to ask for an explanation to the woman's words to understand immediately what she was referring to.

There was something coming up, something that had to do with the clans. Rae had immediately dismissed herself as being too disinterested at the topic to even consider what her parents were asking of her, and they had tutted with worry. The doctor that she had been to a few days before had told the young worried couple of Rae's amnesia, and when they had deflated at the news with depressed looks on their already stressed features, the doctor hurriedly reassured them that it was possible that her memories would come back to her if they simply surrounded her with familiar things from her old life.

Immediately, this made them think of the clan, her heritage and natural born rite, and had desperately started calling each of the clans together - not all of them, mind you. There were far too many clans in Konoha to do something like that on short notice, so the couple had taken to instead sending letters to the clans that were apparently closest to her parents, hoping that by surrounding Rae with hopefully familiar faces, she would magically gain all of her missing memories.

Rae hadn't been paying enough attention to know all of the clan names that were mentioned while this was being put together, but she remembered a few. The Uchiha were one of them, she knew this for certainty, because Mikoto had been excited and had told Rae's parents that she would make her husband agree to it whether he liked it or not, and Rae could appreciate that.

There was one other she remembered, called the Hyuuga. The name wasn't familiar and Rae didn't want it to be.

None of the other names felt important enough to remember, although there had been only one or two more thanks to Mikoto's urging that it was best not to surround Rae with too many 'currently unfamiliar' faces all at once. For once she might have actually been glad somebody was treating her like a fragile doll, despite the minor hit to her pride.

"No, thanks," Rae spoke quietly but firmly. She really didn't want to go. Clans were not a thing she wanted to learn more about so soon. Really, to Rae it almost felt like her parents were trying to shove everything about what they say she was supposed to know down her throat and expecting her to just sit back and swallow it all without complaint.

Mikoto sat down opposite of Rae, and Rae glanced away to stare at her brother as he messily ate his own food, some kind of porridge with mashed fruits or something or another.

"Why not? Is it because there will be so many unfamiliar people to you?"

Rae shrugs once, still looking at her baby brother. She didn't feel the need to explain herself at all.

Mikoto sighs again, a gentle thing that Rae barely caught. There's a stretch of silence before she speaks up again.

"You know, my sons will be there..." She leaves the sentence trailing off like that, inviting Rae to pick it up again by saying something. And, for the life of her, Rae is so very tempted to say something, to look at her as if to ask why that kind of information would or would not change her judgement, to do something about this new information. Rae had never been too interested in meeting Mikoto's children, but she was trying to get at something here.

"My oldest is about your age, you know. The other is a few years younger. I'm sure you'll get along with the both of them just wonderfully."

"Then bring them over," Rae speaks without thinking, and she is almost immediately sure that she regrets it. "It's better than going to some dumb party with a bunch of dumb strangers..." And she admits, she is more than a little bitter at Konoha at the moment, and she probably will never quite stop being bitter at them, but she didn't want to be around the other clans just to regain memories she wasn't entirely certain she even _wanted_ to regain. Didn't what she want matter, too?

No, of course not. Rae learned this when they ripped her home right from under her feet.

Mikoto looks absolutely thrilled.

"Good! I'll set up a play date for the two of you, then!" And then she's up and leaving the house and Rae has only a moment to think about what she had just got herself into before she is pale and chasing the woman down to tell her she changed her mind.

* * *

Rae sits, dejected and more than a little depressed, on her bedroom window's seal. Well, on her _new_ bedroom's window seal. She had had a previous bedroom in here - _Keiko had a room here_ \- and it was decorated and furnished in a way that Rae had to admit looked very beautiful and inviting, but Rae had felt _wrong_ in being in there. Rae did not consider herself to be the same person that her parents thought she was or wanted her to be.

As far as she was concerned, Keiko and Rae were two very separate people. So, of course, Rae had felt as though she was impeding into somebody else's space when she had stepped into the beautifully decorated room with plentiful of plush toys and scrapbooks and a thousand notebooks filled to the brim with ideas and notes and things that Rae was so very tempted to read. It felt like reading somebody else's diary. It felt _wrong._

And now, as she sat in the window sill of her new bedroom, feet kicking back and forth as she looked out at the afternoon sky.

She was alone in the house now.

Mikoto had left earlier, Rae had chased her down and told her no to the play date, she had practically told her she was doing this whether she liked it or not, and then her parents had come back and taken Jirouko out somewhere - she wasn't involved in the conversation so she wasn't really aware of where they had gone - and left her to her own devices here. Now she was well and truly alone again.

Rae could recount on one hand the number of times she remembered actually being alone. Not just in the physical sense, per se, but so alone that she could _feel_ it.

The first time had been when she found herself out in the middle of the desert some eight months ago, and she had been alone then. The second time was the day before she left for Konoha, when Happy had been staying in her living room for the night. She hadn't been alone in the physical sense, but she had been _alone._ And here, the third time she could ever remember feeling this despairingly depressing feeling.

And the only thing she could think of was the strong desire she felt to snoop around Keiko's room.

It's what kids did when they were left home alone, right? They would sneak around the house, getting into things that didn't belong to them? Rae guesses that technically everything in Keiko's room _did_ belong to her in a sense, but she wasn't going to delve too deep into those thoughts again. Keiko was not Rae, Rae was not Keiko. Plain and simple. She wanted to keep it that way, for as far and as long as she possibly could. She liked Rae, liked _being_ Rae. She did not know Keiko.

Which is how she found herself standing in the center of the decorated bedrooms open doorway. She stared into the room with uncertainty in her eyes, feeling for all the world as if she were about to snoop into some deep and classified information she shouldn't even know exist, let alone be free for her to take and look at at any point in time.

She took a hesitant step into the bedroom, and another, and a third step, until she was standing in the center of the room, just two or three feet away from the large bed. The bed was easily queen sized, fit right in the center of the room with a large window right above the headboard, filling the room with warm sunlight. Rae could not help but notice that the bed being filled with such soft and plush looking blankets, it really did look inviting, like something that Rae would own. The sheets were a soft blue hue, with a pink and yellow flowered decoration.

With only slight hesitation, she sat down at the edge of the bed. It was soft and plush, just like it looked, and Rae felt like sleeping on it. She wouldn't, though. She knew it was rude to sleep in someone else's bed without their permission.

Turning her head, she looked around the bedroom once more, giving it another look over as she had done several times since arriving in the house. The room was filled with stuffed animals and small toys that Rae thought was both far too girly for her likes and was too cute to exist. The walls were a vibrant shade of pink and blue, a mix that Rae would have never considered back in Suna, but it seemed to oddly... _fit_ in this new home. The colors blended well together and it gave Rae a sense of a homey feeling.

She absolutely hated how _at home_ she felt here. It was repulsive, for her to feel so happy and safe enough to let down her guard without worry in a place she had _never been in before._

Finishing her quick once over, she glanced at a tall mirror at the other side of the room. She stared at it for just a second before standing from her spot on the edge of the bed, making her way towards the mirror. It was large and fancy looking, being tall enough to fit Rae's entire appearance and a good foot or two higher than her head. She felt that this was so she could keep the mirror even as she grew without having to replace it for something bigger.

She looked into her eyes. The same, deep blue eyes with red specks that Rae still loved.

At this point, it was the only thing that Rae felt was actually her own.

Her hair, while uncharacteristically messy for the people she had met from her clan, all having perfectly straight and tame hair, was still the same shade of pure white that every female in the Shimizu clan had. It was cleaner now, after Rae had taken a shower earlier that morning, and the specks of sand that had been thrown throughout her hair that she had grown to like were gone now. It was no longer a dusty shade of beige with the sand mixed in, instead it was a bright and pure white that Rae thought was too pretty and girly for her. Her hair hadn't been cut in a while, and it was reaching just past her shoulders by now, not quite reaching her shoulder blades just yet, but getting there. She found she liked the messy style of her hair, the way a few strands seem to curl around her cheeks, or how it was messy in a pretty way, not in a lazy, dirty way.

She thinks she mostly liked it because it was _different._

Her skin tone was different, too. At least it was different for the people of her clan, but perhaps not too different than any other people of Konoha. It was tanner now, after spending so much time in the hot desert sand, and had lost all previous traces of the pale girl she had used to see in the mirrors. Her freckles stood out a little more this time around as well, a slight pinkish tint to them, as if it were a permanent blush across her features. She found she also liked how different those were. She had seen only a few other people with them, and even then they were so light that they nearly blended in with the pale faces of her clan. She had only spotted them because she had been looking for them. She had been looking for differences between her and the people of her clan.

She's also not as skinny as she used to be. She's still taller than strictly necessary for her age, but not enough to maybe be considered a freak for the fact. She looked a year or two older than she really was, and she found she liked this too. She had a bit more weight to her body now, both from eating healthy and hearty meals for so long and for all the training she'd done in the Academy back in Suna.

Which was, coincidentally, a topic she had brought up with her parents, but she wouldn't get into that right now.

Looking across her figure, Rae still looked very much like a young boy, but she had grown so accustomed to this fact that it didn't bother her nearly as much now as it used to. It was another thing that made her different than her clan, and for that fact alone, she appreciate it.

Rae lifts her hand and pokes at the clothing she was wearing. It was a plain off white shirt, the sleeves stopping just below her elbows with a floral decoration of blue and pink flowers dancing around in some intricate pattern she couldn't see. The khakis she wore were a dark blue that looked almost black, and they, too, stopped just below her knees with a floral pattern. She wasn't currently wearing any shoes, but she was wearing a pair of soft socks she had found in the bedroom's drawers.

Yes, it was wrong to wear someone else's clothes.

Too bad, they were incredibly soft.

Rae felt very tired suddenly. She dragged her eyes back up her figure in the mirror and looked again at her facial features and found that, no, she was not suddenly tired. She had been so very tired for so very long, but she had been able to put it off with a dismissive wave of her hand. It was not the kind of tired that went away with a light nap or even a full nights' worth of rest. No, this was the kind of tired that Rae felt deeply, down to her bones. It made her feel sluggish and deceptively calm when all she wanted to do was scream and cry and beg to go back home. It made her feel like someone had shaken up her life so bad, so terribly, that she didn't know what to do.

It was an accurate feeling.

This bone deep tired feeling manifested itself as physical exhaustion, and she plopped herself down on the ground of the colorful and decorated bedroom. She found herself staring at a stack of notebooks hidden under the large bed that she hadn't previously seen, and her curiosity took over for just a moment. For a second she sat in silence, simply staring at the books that she could see were only a few feet away from her, as if she were trying to decide whether her curiosity was important enough to get the physical strength needed to lean forward enough to grab the books.

 _Curiosity killed the cat, after all..._

She stared hard at the books, her eyes narrowing as if they had personally offended her in some way.

 _..Satisfaction brought it back._

With that, she leaned forward, dragging herself up to her knees to lean forward on one hand, grabbing the stack of notebooks with her other hand and dragging the pile forward to herself. After she deemed this more than enough effort, she plopped back down onto her rear, the pile of notebooks sitting between her legs. She picked up the first one on top of the pile. It had a hashtag and the number seven on the front, and Rae was slightly glad that this Keiko was neat enough to label her notebooks in order.

Then she lifted the black and white notebook closer to her face, narrowing her eyes in an almost suspicious matter. There was small writing in the top left corner of the notebook page, and when she read what it said, her eyes went wide and she dropped the book as if her hands had been burned.

Suddenly filled with more energy than she had before, Rae stood and ran out of the room as if it were filled with some kind of possessed energy that she wanted no part in.

 _Keiko Shimizu, January 8th_

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((A/N: :)

You guys might be right on assuming Sasuke or Itachi might be the first ones she meets. Itach is only a year older than Rae, after all... or maybe I have something up my sleeve for her to meet someone else? You never know 8^)

Question!: If there were three things you would want Rae to do or see more than anything else while in Konoha, what would they be?

Leave lots o' reviews, they are super helpful! Ciao!))


	11. A Little Trouble

((A/N: Update time! Also, an important note: I have gotten permission from another writer to use their character in this story, so that's going to be a thing. If you ever hear mentions of a character called Rika Uchiha, than that is a character that belongs to **pecollia** and their story, **Dragonfly**. I wanna make it very clear that Rika is not my own OC, and also that you should totally go and read their story. It's so amazing, no joke. It made me laugh and smile and cry and it tore my heart to shreds all at once. They also have another really good Naruto fic that takes place in Minato's timeline, so that's golden too. Go check out their work! Give 'em a big thanks for letting me use Rika in this story! She isn't in this chapter and probably won't be in the story for a few more chapters, but rest assured Rika and Rae will meet eventually! It'll be great.

Also, if any of you have noticed, I changed the image to the story. It's my own art! It's a colored sketch of Rae from chapter 10(her most recent look), and her family clan's crest. Hope you like it! You can see the full image(cos apparently it got cropped a bit when i uploaded it...) and a lot more of my fanfic artwork on the tumblr blog for this story; thehigherweclimb, as I've also made sketches of Leo and Happy. Responses to reviews:

Blackdove Whitedove- While I'm sure whatever is in the books is very interesting(wink, wink), Rae threw the book down more because she saw her own handwriting in the name Keiko Shimizu than because of whatever else she read, which is why she left. Rae is really trying hard to think of her and Keiko as two different people, as if they both have different bodies of their own, so to see her own handwriting in Keiko's journals is kind of messing up that ideal. That's all that bothered her so badly.

Kankananime123- Probably, yeah :)

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

It's a full week after Rae has entered Konoha that she is pushed into some kind of a play date with Mikoto's kids. According to the older woman, her eldest son was 10 years old at the time, and her youngest was almost 4 years old. Itachi Uchiha wasn't even a full year older than her, as she had found out. He was only a few months older than her.

But that wasn't important. What was important was that she _really_ didn't want to go.

There was no reason in particular she had no intentions of going to the 'play date' - as Mikoto would never stop calling it, despite Rae's numerous pleads not to make it sound so childish - but she simply wasn't interested in it.

Which is why, when the date came and Mikoto's two children were on their way over to the Shimizu Clan compound - everyone agreed that it was best for them to meet in a space that Rae was familiar with, rather then sending her over to the Uchiha clan grounds -, Rae found herself sneaking out the back of the house and leaving the compound through the back gates to wander the village on her own.

Yes, it was a rude thing to do, especially since Rae knew it would be letting Mikoto and her parents down. Mikoto had been so excited to have the three of them meet, although she was most excited to have a child closest to her eldest son's age around to talk with him.

She just didn't think she could handle it.

Rae really didn't feel like she could handle anything else at that time.

She'd been just barely holding on all this time, ever since leaving Suna. Everything that had happened to her was just too much for her to handle, and she had been taking it all in stride for quite a while, but she didn't think she could take this one thing on top of everything else, for fear that her very delicate tower of emotions would crumble and so would she.

First she was found on the verge of death in the desert, alone and scared in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers. Then she spends eight months there, building up a life and learning to love the people around her, learning to love the _village_ most of all. Then her best friend kills her potential mother-figure that Rae had looked up to for so long. Then she is torn away from her home and sent to another village, not to mention she was forced to leave before she could even speak to Gaara again after the incident - not that Rae was entirely certain she would _want_ to speak to him again, but it still would have been nice to have been given the option in the very least - and then she was forced into a life she knew nothing about.

A clan heiress, a sweet girl who followed orders, a friend to others... Everybody around her wanted her to become somebody _she wasn't._ She wasn't Keiko Shimizu. She wasn't an Heiress. She wasn't their friend. She wasn't even their ally. She hated them all. They were the reason she was thrust into this life, a life she wanted _nothing to do with._

And like they cared little for what she wanted, she cared little for what they expected.

And so she left without a word, sneaking out the back of the compound in order to wander around this new Village on her own. Nobody would be there to tell her what to do, where to go, _who to be._

For once, she felt the suffocating pressure of the world's expectations for her slip, and she felt like she was free. She felt that the second everybody's judging eyes and pity filled gazes left her, she was finally able to breath again. So, for once in the past few hectic weeks, she took in a deep, _free_ breath...

Only for that breath to be knocked out of her as a child ran head first into her gut.

She crumpled to the ground, wheezing out a breath of surprise as her rear hit the ground rather forcefully and a heavy weight landed on top of her, keeping her from regaining her breath once again.

"OW! What the hell!? Watch where you're-" The loud, obnoxious voice came to a sudden end when the little child looked up into the face of the girl they had head butted rather forcefully onto the ground. Their eyes went wide and their mouth opened just slightly in barely concealed awe, and they sat there on her stomach for a while in stunned silence.

And then Rae began turning blue and the child's eyes were even wider than before, if possible, before they got off of the choking little girl. Finally, Rae took in a deep gulp of air and began trying to catch her lost breath. It's then that Rae hears shouting, and the sound of foot steps approaching at a fast pace, and just a second later she can hear the threats that a mob of adults were shouting, threatening to maim somebody. Rae is confused for a second as to who they're talking about.

And then she takes one look up at the bright, guilty blue eyes of the blond child grinning down at her in embarrassment, and she groans out a grumble of how she was so unlucky to have to deal with something like this so soon after she had gotten free.

She leaps up onto her feet with the grace of a dancer, something she will admit she loved about the training to become a kunoichi was how graceful it made her seem, grabbed onto the little boy's hand, and began running in the opposite direction.

Thankfully, Rae found that the young child only stumbled once in confusion before he grinned a bright, blinding smile and began following after her as if it were the most normal thing in the world for a stranger to be helping you escape the authorities. Especially when that stranger was much older than you, and didn't even know what you did to be chased down by the authorities in the first place.

Rae leads him down a few alleyways that she had no idea where they led. Honestly, Rae was lost. She had come out here for a breath of freedom, and to finally wander the village on her own in order to get a feel of what the place was like, and now she was helping a (probably) criminal escape from the authorities for reasons unknown to her. In just a few dizzying turns, Rae stumbled through a small hole in a fence, thankful that they were both tiny enough to fit through it, and hid behind a dumpster, out of sight from the adults currently chasing them. She held the boy in front of her, hiding him from sight, and put a finger to her lips as she looked down at him and heard the voices getting louder as they got nearer to their location. The boy nodded with a firm determination and huddled closer to her, and for just a brief moment, Rae wanted to smile. Almost.

The two of them sat still for a while, and finally, after what felt like hours - but was most likely only a few minutes - Rae could no longer hear the threatening voices. They had either gone off to look for the boy in a different location, or they had simply given up on looking for him. Either way, they were gone.

And now she could finally find out what in the hell was going on.

"Who are you?" Rae asked, a little forcefully. She knew she could have been just a little bit kinder to the boy, since, as far as she knew, he probably didn't even do anything wrong. Adults liked to chase children all the time back in Suna for various reasons.

Then she had to remind herself that this wasn't Suna, and she was suddenly even more bitter than she was a moment ago.

The boy leaned back from her, still gripping onto the front of her blue, flowery shirt with his tiny fists, and a look of confusion washed over his face.

"Why would you help me hide if you didn't know who I was?" He asked, pure confusion in his voice. Then, if possible, he looked even more confused as he mumbled out the next sentence just barely loud enough for her to hear, " _Why would you help me at all?_ "

She pretended the second sentence didn't send a pang of sadness through her heart.

"You didn't answer my question," She steely replied instead. Her hands were still on either side of him, as he was small enough to fit into her lap as he gripped her shirt, and she vaguely realized he had gripped her shirt tighter. She didn't know why.

His bright blue eyes narrowed and a look of determination crossed his features. Rae was suddenly aware of the tiny whisker marks on his cheeks. She'd seen weirder, honestly.

"You didn't answer _mine,_ " he smartly replied, a haughty tone to his voice. He raised his chin as if he were somebody super important, as if Rae should be apologizing to him for even existing in the same space as him. As if he weren't clutching her shirt in his hands tightly and sitting in her lap like a child to a parent. So Rae responded with the smartest comeback she could think of.

"I asked first."

"I asked second!"

"First is better than second, idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot! You're an idiot!"

"How am _I_ the idiot!?"

"Cause you, uh... y-you..." he froze for a second, as if he were having trouble thinking of a clever comeback. Finally, after stumbling over his words several times, he stood up on the girl's lap so he was just tall enough to reach her face, pointed a finger at her nose, and shouted as loud as he could,

"'CAUSE YOU'RE _DUMB_ _!_ "

Rae had to admit the kid had a pair of lungs on him, wincing as she could hear a slight ringing in her ears.

" _Kami,_ you're loud..." She muttered. At this point the little boy had let go of her shirt and was standing on top of her knees, his spiky blond hair reaching just barely past her messy white hair. He was so _small,_ she noticed. Rae didn't feel as tiny around him as she did around the adults of her clan. It made her feel just slightly better. Then she finally recognized what his response was and she paused, letting it sink in for just a second. She looked so utterly confused in that second that the boy on top of her almost smiled at what he thought to be his victory.

"I'm an idiot because I'm dumb...?"

Then the boy looked so absolutely consumed in rage for being caught with a lame comeback, his face went red in embarrassment and he once again began stuttering for some excuse to make him look cooler. Rae held up one hand quickly, not wanting this to go any farther. There was a limit to the amount of time she was willing to spend in a tiny, warm space with a tiny, warm child standing on her knees.

Shocker, right?

"Alright, _relax_."

She turned the lifted hand so it was outstretched to the boy, so he could shake it in greeting.

"My name is Rae," she introduced herself simply, not really answering the boy's question, but saying enough to, thankfully, silence him for the time being. "What's your name?"

The boy looked so shocked for a second that he simply stood there on her knees. Rae had to admit they were starting to hurt, due to his dirty, worn shoes digging into the bare skin, as she had been wearing shorts before she left that reached just above her knees. Now that she took a closer look, she noticed that the entire boy on top of her was covered in layers of dirt and grime, and smelled bad. She artfully avoided making a face at it.

Then he shot her another bright, blinding grin with all teeth that were surprisingly white despite the rest of his dirty appearance. He took her hand with his much, much smaller hands, and shot her a closed eye smile, one thumb digging into his chest as he pointed at himself as if he were the most important thing in the world.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage! Believe it!"

The shake was small and ended quickly, probably due to the fact that the boy obviously didn't know how to properly shake someone's hands. His arm was wobbly when they shook, and he was barely gripping her hand. She glanced down to their joined hands for a second, but decided it wasn't important. She could teach him how to properly shake hands another time.

"Well, Naruto Uzumaki," she could not even _pretend_ to not see the look of pride in his eyes when she said his name, "You're hurting my legs."

He looked surprised for a second, the grin faltering in confusion like he expected her to say something else entirely, and then he looked down at what he was standing on.

The tiny space became deathly quiet as he simply stared down at her reddening knees from scuffing his feet on them.

Then Naruto began stumbling over his words, letting go of her hand like she had the plague or something, and he began trying to shove himself out of the tiny hole as quickly as he could, stumbling over some kind of mussed up apology for hurting her. Rae could only stare at him as he tried to push himself through the hole, getting stuck on something or another as he continued shouting out some half-formed sentences and barely coherent words.

"Uh, it's cool," Rae muttered, one brow raised in barely concealed amusement, and maybe a little bit of confusion. Yeah, just a bit of confusion.

She helped him get his cargo shorts free from some ragged plank of wood that they had gotten caught on, and he finally fell out the other side, letting a small 'oof' out in the process. Rae followed after him shortly, although with much more grace.

When they had both gotten out of the small, confined space, Rae looked down at the little boy. He really was little. He was so small, he barely reached up just to her waist, and Rae was only nine years old. Granted, she may look a year or two older considering her height, but she was still pretty small. The small boy looked up at her after he finished brushing wood and dust from his already filthy clothing, and his bright blue eyes were wide as he stared up at her, waiting for her to say something first. She glanced down at the clothing he wore quickly, noting how his grey-green cargo shorts were torn and shredded in certain areas, and the white t-shirt he wore with a swirly symbol done in red in the center of the article was so dirty that it looked almost brown or yellow from filth.

She winced at how dirty the boy was, wondering what in the hell he had had to have been doing in order to get it into such a state. Apparently it was the wrong thing to do, as the boy spotted the wince, and his eyes became darker. No longer were they wide in wonder and maybe a bit of awe at the older girl, instead he narrowed them and he gritted his teeth together as he glared up at her with a fierceness she hadn't been expecting.

"Oh, you're one of _them,_ huh?" He asked, and his voice was filled with such malice that Rae had a hard time believing this was the same little boy she had been speaking to just seconds before.

"I- what? I'm one of who?"

Apparently this was also the wrong thing to do.

The little boy who had been so full of sunshine and happy energy mere moments ago clenched his fists, and his eyes swelled with a bit of moisture Rae couldn't understand why it was there. He took a half step away from her and got into a position Rae recognized as a tackling position, something she had learned in her taijutsu class back in Suna. This little, tiny ball of sunshine was getting ready to pounce on her with all his strength if she didn't say the right thing, quick.

"Are you hungry?" She asked suddenly.

The question was so unexpected for the young boy that he actually slipped on nothing and landed flat on his face at her feet.

Rae almost wanted to laugh at him, but then remembered that this little ball of sunshine was more than willing and ready to tackle the older girl into a wooden fence not one second ago. So, instead, she settled for a small, but completely necessary, amused smirk. The boy planted his tiny fists into the ground beside his head and used it to push himself up, leaning up and off the ground until he could stare into her deep blue and red eyes with his own bright blues.

Rae's amused smirk settled down into a more genuine, happy smile, and she reached out one hand for him to grasp.

He stared at it, his eyes wide in wonder and his mouth agape in a silent ' _what_ ' as he contemplated whether it was a trick or not. He once again spared another glance into her eyes, and when he saw nothing there but truth and a genuine want, he grasped the older girl's hand. A little too tightly than absolutely necessary, in Rae's opinion, but she would deal with it. Comfort be damned.

She hauled the young boy to his feet with startling ease - _when was the last time he ate something_ \- and she frowned when she finally noticed how small he was. Not just in height, which, yes, he was very tiny in height, but he was also incredibly skinny. Rae was pretty skinny herself even with the small added muscles from Academy training, and her entire hand fit around his wrist easily.

Then Rae has flashing images of a young girl starving and battered and bruised in the desert, and she suddenly knows why his clothes are so filthy. Her eyes flash through a variety of emotions before they settle on a steely resolution.

"How old are you?" She asks warily. She almost didn't want to know the answer.

The boy held up four fingers. "I'm four years old!" He exclaimed, almost proud of the small number. He doesn't notice the small storm crossing over her features at the ideas of what he's been through cross through her mind.

"Where do you wanna go?" She asks, her tone not exactly gentle, but soft enough to be considered friendly.

He considered momentarily. "I don't have any cash." She expected that.

"But I do," she grinned down at him, a silent invitation to treat the young kid. He was smart, as he was only confused for a brief second before realization dawned on his muddy features, and he is once again sending a blindingly bright and dazzling smile her way. Rae finds that she has a new appreciation for those bright smiles.

"I know the perfect place!"

* * *

"And that's how we met!" Naruto finished exclaiming, practically inhaling down a bowl of ramen noodle soup. Rae would have been looking at the amount of bowls he had already gone through in the past few minutes in absolute shock and slight horror as to how much this would really cost her, but she was too busy trying not to burst out laughing from the ridiculous story he was telling the small shop's owner.

The second Rae had silently invited him to go to any restaurant he wanted to go to and offering to pay for his meal, he had dragged her halfway across the village to some small, beat up shack with a hand written sign on top of it, reading 'Ichiraku's Ramen' in bright red. Rae figured it was to catch people's attention.

It had definitely caught Naruto's attention, if the amount of dirty bowls piled high to his side was any indication. He could probably eat the small shack out of business. Somehow, Rae doubted it would have been a bad thing for the shop keeper, especially if she paid for it all. Which, rest assured, she would. She had her own money from saved allowances back in Suna, but she also had some money she had been given from her parents in the week she had been here. She had told them time and time again that she didn't want their money, but now she was glad for it.

But, back to the present.

The older man behind the counter had immediately recognized the small boy, and though his features held somewhat of a hesitant smile, he allowed the boy in with a smile nonetheless. Especially after he took one look at Rae. Apparently, just because her clan was a small one didn't mean that it was an unknown one. If anything, that only made the features of a Shimizu Clan member even more prominent. After all, Rae had yet to meet anyone else in Konoha with white hair other than the members of her clan.

And really old people, she supposed.

Immediately, his smile had brightened at seeing her, and he began serving the both of them food right away. He probably thought Rae was loaded with money. Technically, he wouldn't be wrong, considering her clan was very, _very_ well off. The moment Naruto had ordered a bowl of Miso Ramen with BBQ Pork - a strange combination, in Rae's opinion -, he had begun telling the keeper of the shop a small, adventurous tale of how his albino friend had saved his life from evil minions of darkness(Rae snorted) and then decided to treat him to lunch afterwards, because he was _so starving._ Rae didn't actually doubt that last part, but the way he had whined it out while simultaneously practically inhaling his bowl of Ramen made it seem so fake she almost doubted it. Almost.

Flashes of a starved and beaten girl went through her mind again, and the smile on her face seemed a little more forced than it had been a moment ago.

Suddenly she stopped caring about how much it would cost. The bright grin on his dirty face was more than enough for her to spend all of her allowance here(and maybe have to beg her parents for forgiveness later on if the bill extends far enough that they'd have to pay for it for her).

"Ah, a fascinating story!" The older man behind the counter laughed at Naruto's retelling of their meeting, which, might Rae remind him, happened a mere _ten minutes ago._

"Mm-hmm!" Naruto's mouth was full enough that he didn't even attempt to talk around it, _thank Kami,_ but he still nodded his head vigorously to agree with the elder man's words. He slurped up the remaining noodles on his chopsticks, swallowed noisily, and turned to flash another grin at Rae.

"He's my new friend!"

Rae swears she can _hear_ the aggravation when her eyebrow twitches. The smile doesn't slip from her face, but it does take on a slight sharper edge to it.

"Naruto, _buddy,_ " Naruto glances over at her, thoroughly confused as to why she sounded so sickeningly sweet all of a sudden, "I'm a _girl._ "

The blond boy is quiet, not even attempting to slurp up the noodles currently hanging from off his chopsticks, and he stares. His vibrant blue eyes narrow just slightly, and he stares. Then they narrow even further and he leans forward towards her, and he stares. Then they're narrowed so hard that Rae honestly doesn't think he can see through them anymore and he's in her personal space as he stares _right into her eyes_ , and he _stares_.

And then his eyes go _wide_ and he leans all the way back in his seat so far that Rae stomps a foot down on the front of his seat to make sure it doesn't topple over.

"YOU'RE A GIRL!"

And then Rae lifts her foot, and he falls backwards out of his stool and crash lands, his bowl of ramen spilling all over himself. He stands up and begins doing some kind of dance, hopping up and down and running around in a small circle, chanting 'ow, ow, ow! hot, hot, hot!' over and over again at the top of his lungs before he finally stops, turns around slowly, and focuses his wide eyes on her. He looks at her like he's seeing a completely different person, and for a moment Rae is afraid he is going to treat her differently now that he knows she is a female.

Then he breaks out into a loud cackle, slaps his knee, and Rae is utterly confused. He lifts a single, dirty finger and points it into her face and says in the loudest, most obnoxious voice she had ever heard,

"YOU LOOK LIKE A _BOY!_ "

And not a second later, he is on the ground, nursing a sore spot on his head.

* * *

((A/N: SURPRISE! Ha ha, literally _nobody_ guess Naruto as the first person from the Rookie 9 she would meet. I've been planning this meeting for, like, 5 chapters now. I love the little goober.

Question!: If Rae were to get an animal summon in the future, what would you want it to be? What animal do you think would fit her personality best? If it's a good one, I might use it!

Leave lots o' reviews! They help me type!

Ciao!))


	12. Sunshine

((A/N: More Naruto because I think their budding relationship is too important to skip over(and, if it isn't obvious yet, I fucking _love baby Naruto so god damn much you don't understand_ ), so here ya go, more baby Naruto scenes! Responses to reviews:

Panther Hardraad- I think her having a summon from the desert is a freakin' amazing idea. Thanks to your suggestion I've spent, like, 2 hours researching desert animals and their behaviors so I can find the perfect one to fit Rae. I think I've pretty much found the perfect one for her now, but I'm still willing to change it if I find something better. Thanks for the help! Also, she's going to see Gaara again somehow, right? Whether it's in a few weeks or in a few years during the Chuunin exams, I won't tell... ;)

TamashinoSuzume- I spent like 5 minutes imagining giant Pangolins the size of a building, and I may or may not have snorted. They're like a mix between ant eaters and armadillos! But, as stated above, I think I've found the perfect summons for Rae now. Also, yes, I think maybe Naruto will bring out the better side of Rae with his bright smiles and ridiculous eating habits lol.

May525- GOOD. Pecollia makes some really great fanfics, I really love their writing. I can't wait to get started on introducing Rika Uchiha into this story. I hope I can do her justice!

CoolGuestPerson- Wow, you ask lots o' questions! I'll try to answer them to the best I can, but some of the answers I have would give away far too much plot, so no promises in that aspect. 1.) I have yet to decide! Itachi/Rae is an adorable ship, I agree! I'm mostly leaving the romance up to how things work out, you know? 2.) Both of those are secrets that you'll find out in later chapters. 3.) This is also something that you'll find out about in the future! But, I suppose it doesn't necessarily hurt to tell you since practically every clan has some secret ninja jutsu. Yes, there is a jutsu that Rae will learn that is privvy only to the Shimizu clan, but whether it's small and unimportant or super big and powerful, I'll leave that up to you guys to learn about in later chapters. (:

I switched back and forth between Rae's perspective and Naruto's perspective in this chapter, as I just love to write the both of them and what they're thinking at certain points. Especially Naruto. God knows how much I love the little ball of sunshine.

Enjoy the chapter! The events of this chapter pick up pretty much immediately after the last chapter ended, so it's still the same day as the last chapter.))

* * *

"Ow, ow, ow," Naruto repeatedly mutters under his breath, wincing every time the older girl in front of him plucks a small piece of wood from his leg.

It turns out running around and sliding across old pieces of wooden boards was not a good idea when you were wearing cargo shorts. Rae tisked at him every time he moved to yank his small leg away from where it rested in her criss crossed lap. The both of them were currently sitting under a large tree to enjoy the shade, Naruto was laying on his back with his arms crossed over his chest grumpily. He glares up at the leaves in the tree whenever he wasn't sending the glare her way.

Rae didn't even know what in the world the boy had to have been doing to get so many little splinters in his feet, but when she had seen him wincing with every step he took, she immediately demanded to get the problem fixed. Naruto had agreed to it happily, his stomach full from the hot Ramen and a bright smile on his face at the kind girl - who he still called 'pretty boy', which earned him a whack over the head every time.

And then Rae began picking out the splinters from his legs and Naruto had immediately decided it wasn't worth it.

Rae had pretty much just told him 'too bad' and decided she was going to do this whether he liked it or not. So now, here the two of them sat under the large tree's shade, Naruto's pout getting worse with each prick of pain, and Rae's attempts not to snicker at his face getting worse by the minute.

"All right," Rae finally spoke up, pulling one last splinter of wood from Naruto's leg. Naruto looked up at her with hopeful eyes, praying to every possible God he thought might exist that it was over.

"I'm done!"

Naruto let out an over exaggerated sigh of relief, throwing his hands up into the air and letting his blond head of hair thunk back down onto the soft grass as he shouted, "FINALLY!"

"...With taking them out," Rae added almost as though it were a simple after thought, but Naruto froze in confusion and, he's not gonna lie, slight terror.

"W-what else would you need to do?" He stuttered out, a tinge of hope in his voice that the girl was just messing with him and there was nothing left and the torture was finally _over._

"I have to clean the cuts and then wrap them up, of course. We don't want these tiny little legs of yours getting infected, do we?" Naruto thinks her tone was far too sweet for telling him that his torture was not yet over, and would not be over for perhaps quite a while longer yet. He grumbles about the comment of his 'tiny little legs', finding that the older child absolutely loved it when he got red in the face every time she called him little or small or tiny, or any variation of _not big._

But, Naruto realized that despite not wanting to have to deal with the stupidly ridiculous nick names, he really didn't want any of those cuts getting infected any time soon. He let his arms drop down beside his head, letting out a melodramatic sigh of defeat.

"'Kay," was all he said. Then his brows scrunched down in momentary confusion. "Do you have that kinda stuff on you all the time?" He thinks it'd be weird for her to carry medical supplies on her at all times, but he supposes it might make sense if she were a medic nin.

Rae lets out a small huff.

"Of course not, that'd be weird," Naruto was glad she agreed with his unspoken thoughts, "But I have some back at, uh..." Rae trailed off. She had medical things back at her clan compound, but she didn't feel like going back. It was still far too stuffy and infuriating to be there, around so many people who expect so much from her. She just felt as though she were choking on all the responsibilities suddenly placed on her, after the care free life she had been living for so long back in Suna. Back _home._

Naruto pauses from whatever he had been thinking about and looks up at the suddenly quiet girl. Seeing the stormy look across her features, he fidgets. He knows that look. He's seen that look on many of the other villagers, civilian and shinobi alike, when they were staring. When they were staring at _him._

And suddenly Naruto is afraid. He's afraid that this nice girl, the first and only person to have ever shown him so much kindness before, will suddenly rethink her decision with him. He's very afraid that she'll decide she made a mistake in being so kind to him. He's so very, very afraid she's going to leave him. So he blurts out the first thing he can think of.

"I have bandages back at my apartment." For a moment, Naruto is just in shocked silence at what he was insinuating, and then he's even more nervous than before. He just offered to let her come over to his apartment. His safe space. He didn't know this girl. He didn't know what she wanted him for, or what she wanted from him. A steely look comes across her features, and for a moment he's worried he said the wrong thing and she will outright refuse his friendship - _get that,_ Naruto thinks giddily, _an actual friend._ To his surprise, however, that is not what she says when she opens her mouth to respond.

"They let a four year old live on their own?"

And for a moment Naruto wants to laugh and cry all at once because _she didn't leave him, she stayed, she didn't tell him he was a monster_ and he is so happy.

Instead, he huffs out an irritated grumble.

"I'm a _mature_ four year old!"

He crosses his arms over his chest angrily at the unbelieving laugh the girl in front of him lets out. He opens his mouth to grumble more, to shout at her about how mature he is and how clever and cool he is and how she should be honored to just be in his presence, but he is just _so glad she's still here._ He supposes he can let it slide, if just this once.

"All right," Rae lets loose a small, genuine smile, one that Naruto hadn't really seen on the girl once since he first met her half an hour ago. They had all been tight lipped smiles with sharp edges to them. "We'll go to your apartment then, oh wise one."

He doesn't miss the sarcasm in her voice, for sure, but he can't help but let out one of his own bright grins.

* * *

Rae almost wants to turn around and run the moment the little boy in front of her opens his front door - a small, run down apartment that seemed barely big enough to fit the small child, and it was _a mess._

There were dirty clothing piles all over the ground, and Rae is almost jealous at the amount of clothing he owned to himself, which is then smothered out and replaced by suspicion about where he got all those clothes in the first place if he never had any money. On top of the piles of dirty, _stinky_ clothing strewn about the apartment floor - _and on THE FURNITURE_ \- were empty containers of single serve Ramen Noodle cups, and Rae almost wants to cry at the sorry sight.

She knows she is in a state of distress at seeing this mess, this _abomination of a living space,_ and she clenches and unclenches her fists as her eyes glance back and forth at the many piles of messes.

That was just in the only room she could currently see without having to go inside the apartment, which looked to be like a mix between both a bedroom and a living space. There was a small bed just barely big enough to fit the small child pushed into a corner on the left side of the room, and there was a coffee table a few feet away, a few mats to sit on places all around in no particular order. There was probably a mat underneath it, but Rae couldn't actually tell if that was a mat or just another piece of dirty clothing.

Rae can't help the small whine of absolute _pain_ that comes from the bottom of her throat when she looks at the mess.

It was just... just so...

 _Messy._

When she lets out another low whine in the back of her throat, Naruto glances up at her curiously. She had been silent the entire time since he had opened his apartment door, and he had begun to wonder why.

"Naruto," she began in a quiet voice that Naruto thought sounded an awful lot like she was in pain. He did a quick once over to check her body for any wounds, but she looked fine to him. "You don't... _live here,_ do you?"

Naruto let out a small laugh. He sounded suddenly very afraid to show the older girl his living arrangements. He had been so excited to show her his apartment earlier, thinking about how cool he was in the fact that he got to live all on his own - no matter how many times he had to play the radio late at night just to hear somebody else's voice besides his own thoughts - and he had wanted to impress her. Now, however, seeing the look of terrified rage on her features, he is afraid. So, so very afraid.

"Of course I do!"

The look of absolute horror that crossed her face as she turns to glare down at the boy so quickly that she must have given herself a crick in her neck made Naruto flinch back in absolute shock. He was used to the girl being not so nice to him, but he never saw this look on her face before. Naruto found that he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Uh... w-why?"

" _Why?_ Why- w-" She stumbled over her words, going back and forth between looking at him with wide, horrified eyes and to looking at the apartment with _wide, horrified eyes._ "Why? Because this is _a NIGHTMARE,_ that's _why!_ "

Naruto doesn't understand what she means. He most especially does not understand when she immediately turns to him with a firm, determined look on her features.

"We are going to clean this entire mess up, right now."

Naruto opens his mouth to protest.

" _Right_. _Now._ "

Naruto closes his mouth and nods.

He keeps his mouth shut tightly even as she enters his apartment and begins sorting through the mess on the ground. He doesn't even say anything when she strips his bed of all the sheets and blankets, taking the pillow case as well, even if it did confuse him. He didn't dare say anything to her when she began cleaning the small room with a grim, determined look on her features, and he simply sits atop his now bare bed, crossing his legs on top of it and placing his hands on his knees as he watches her.

When she pauses, turning around slowly and glaring at the boy on the bed with such a fire in her eyes that he is legitimately terrified of this girl, Naruto can do nothing but scamper off the bed in order to help her clean.

* * *

It's almost five hours later when Rae can almost feel the aggravation coming from the boy standing three feet away from her. He was childishly whining and groaning about having to work so hard and clean for so long, 'what's the problem with a little mess every now and then anyway?' he had asked. Rae wanted to scoff and hit him up side the head. She settled for just scoffing, though. She didn't have to turn her head even an inch to feel how tired he was from the whole ordeal and cleaning his entire apartment - which, Rae will admit, is very small, considering it was only three rooms in total.

Although, to be fair, she didn't even have to feel it. He was very openly complaining about the whole thing.

Naruto plopped down onto his _now cleaned and fitted with clean sheets_ bed.

Then Rae turned around to look at him, and, with wide, angry eyes, she shouted at him before his rear could even touch the bed's clean, neat sheets,

"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY _NOT_ GOING TO DO THAT!"

Naruto was so surprised by the sudden outburst that he fell _sideways_ and missed hitting the clean sheets by mere inches, much to Rae's relief. He landed a bit harshly on the wooden floor, turned very slowly, and stared up at Rae with wide, confused - and a little bit scared - eyes.

"Have you _seen_ how filthy you are?!" She asks, her tone much more scolding than she meant for it to be. Honestly, Rae had no idea what comes over her when she sees something so dirty and filthy. She supposes she has a hard time seeing how someone can live in such a filthy state of health, it just disgusts her to no end! She especially doesn't know what to do when seeing all the hard work they had just done _about to be ruined_ by a filthy four year old boy about to sit down on the sheets Rae had spent hours cleaning and drying along with the rest of his dirty clothing!

Naruto opens his mouth, ready to protest, but all that comes out are embarrassed sputters.

"I-I, b-b-but-"

Rae holds up a single hand, and Naruto goes quiet, although his mouth is still open in shock.

"No _buts._ " She points a single finger to where she knew Naruto's newly cleaned bathroom lay waiting, white tiled floor sparkly clean, just like the rest of the bathroom tiles. "Go, take a bath. You can lay down _after_ you've cleaned yourself."

He opens his mouth again. A single look from Rae had him closing it without a sound.

Then, almost as if he had resigned himself to his oh so terrible fate, Naruto lets his head droop down to his chest and nods slowly. He gets up and shuffles his way out of the small room, making his way into the bathroom. Watching him go, Rae stares a moment after he disappears behind the door. The room she was currently in, something of a mix between a bedroom and a living room, was very small and was definitely fit for only one person. There was a small hallway to the right, which led to two rooms, as well as a small closet at the end of the hallway where Rae had folded and stacked all of the towels and wash clothes for easy access.

One of the rooms was the bathroom that Naruto had just disappeared behind, - although he did come out just a second later to awkwardly shuffle to the end of the hall to grab a towel before starting his bath - and the other room was a small kitchen and dining room mix. In the room was several cabinets and a single, small refrigerator to hold any cold food items. To absolutely nobody's surprise, all Naruto had in his kitchen's wooden cabinets were boxes of instant ramen noodle cups and a small bad of uncooked rice, along with random spices thrown about the cabinets that Rae honestly didn't understand why they were there.

The only things in the fridge were two small milk cartons that Rae had the sneaking suspicion were probably already expired, and a single opened can of tomato sauce.

She didn't even bother asking why.

Rae took a small spin around the apartment, looking at everything, trying to make sure Naruto hadn't shoved his dirty laundry in a dark corner somewhere where she couldn't spot it in an attempt to get out of doing work. When she found nothing minutes later, she stood in the center of the bedroom/living room mix, hands on her hips, and nodded once with a satisfied smirk.

Just a few minutes later, Naruto stepped out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam rolling out of the room with him and warming the rest of the house, along with bringing a faint scent of oranges and lemon that Rae knew was from his single bottle of soap that was practically empty by now. She wondered how he managed to use any of it, she honestly thought the bottle was emptied of every drop when she first saw it. Naruto had insisted that he could squeeze just a bit more out, and when Rae noticed he didn't have any other soaps in there, she let him keep it.

She found she liked the scent of oranges and lemons.

She sent the small boy a charming smile, for once it was a genuine, pleased smile. Naruto eyes her warily, although his entire demeanor changed from sulking clean boy to suspiciously happy boy in an instant when he saw the happy grin on her face. The last time he saw a genuine smile on her features was when she offered to buy him lunch at Ichiraku's.

"How do you like it here now, Naruto?" She asks him, a bright grin on her face still. Naruto liked her smile. It was pretty. Even if she still looked like a feminine boy to him.

Naruto felt the strong urge to cross his arms and blow a raspberry at her, telling her off for making a young boy such as himself clean up all that mess and strain himself oh so much, but, when he took a single glance around at the sparkly clean home and how it smelled like cleaning supplies, he couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face.

He also found that it smelled faintly of a dry desert. He didn't know why, but it simply did.

When Rae saw the grin on the boy's face, her own smile widened to match his. She was very pleased, and happy. She couldn't remember being this happy since she was back in Suna, with her family.

Before the sad thoughts and depressing memories can envelop Rae's mind like they tended to do often these days, a bright ball of sunshine barrels towards her, wrapping his skinny arms around her waist as he pushes forward in his assault. Rae lets out a quiet 'oof' at contact, but she laughs aloud when they are both knocked onto the ground because of his cheery hug-tackle. Naruto lands on top of Rae, sitting in her lap in a way that reminded him of how they met, in that dirty little hole she had helped him hide in from the mean old bullies, and he is so happy, _so happy,_ that she is here with him, that she _exists_ and _wants_ to be with him, that he lets the words slip from his mouth before he recognizes what he's saying.

"I love it, Nee-chan!"

And he can feel the girl stiffen underneath him, and Naruto is afraid to lift his face from where it was hiding in the older girl's shirt. For a long, long moment, nobody speaks. Until, eventually, the girl is the first to say something.

"Naruto..." Naruto shakes his head in her shirt, his tiny fists clenching tighter in the fabric, and he is so _dumb._ He was such an idiot. He was going to scare her away now, because she would see how he felt about her and she would finally _finally_ realize that this was a mistake and she would run away from him just like every one else and he would be alone again and _he doesn't know if he can handle that_ and she-

"I'm glad you like it."

Nobody says anything else for a while. Not even when Naruto's shoulders shake and Rae can most definitely feel her shirt's front getting wetter. She momentarily felt the need to push him away, both for the sake of the _mess_ he was getting on her clean shirt, and also because she didn't know if she could handle this kind of emotional moment. She doesn't know if she, herself, was emotionally capable of being there for someone else when she was such a mess herself.

"Naruto," Rae repeats, quieter this time. Her voice was hardly above a whisper. If it weren't for how close Naruto was to her, she doubts he would have heard her next question. "Do you... do you think of me as a sister?"

Naruto's first instincts tell him to say no, to say no and that maybe, maybe if he hoped and prayed enough she would still stay and forget he ever opened his big dumb mouth and said anything.

He doesn't, though.

He shakes his head slowly in the fabric of Rae's shirt, but it isn't in a sense of telling her 'no'. He leans back a few inches, face tilted to look down at the ground so he wouldn't have to look her in the eye as he admitted what he didn't feel comfortable in saying.

"I've never had a sister," he speaks just as quietly as she had moments before. "So I- I wouldn't really know what it was like, you know? But I think... some people say that having a big sister is when they look out for you, and when they take care of you and sometimes they shout at you or make you upset but they say that big sisters are always there for you even when they get mad, and I think..." Naruto pauses. He's almost hesitant when he speaks next, in an even quieter tone, his fists clenched even tighter in the girl's shirt and leaning down further so there's no chance she could see his tears. He thinks she could see them anyway.

"I think I would like to have a big sister... and I- and I think maybe you would be a very good big sister...?" He trails off, his tone a lot more quiet and uncertain than it had been when he had begun his explanation. Rae is silent as she watches tears fall from his hidden features, and she watches as his tiny fists, clenched so very tight in the fabric of her shirt that Rae was certain it was ruined by now, shake from emotions he wasn't used to dealing with. Not openly, at least.

And finally, Rae opens her mouth to speak.

"I'd like another little brother."

And Naruto whips his head up so fast to look at her with wide, hopeful blue eyes that he almost hears a crack in his neck. He ignores that. And yes, Naruto notices the way she says 'another little brother', instead of just one, and for just a teensy, eensy split second, he feels something he thinks is jealousy at another person, but he ignores that too. Instead, a grin that was so wide and so bright it almost hurt him to have it on his face broke out, and he lunged forward in another tackle hug, wrapping his skinny arms around the older girls' neck to hug her as tight as he could.

Rae let out a quiet choke for just a second when he had jumped onto her stomach, but as he moved to wrap his arms around her, she couldn't help but wrap her own arms around him in joy.

And if she felt a single tear slide down her cheek, nobody would fault her for that.

* * *

((A/N: Alright, the next chapter is when she'll be back to doing other things. Can't have too many chapters of the lil ball of sunshine, no matter how much I may want it...

Question!: Who do _you_ ship Rae with? Either now or in the future, let me know your ships about any of my characters!))


	13. Minor Confrontation

((A/N: Hello, hello! Thank you all so much for the reviews I've been getting recently. They make me so happy. Maybe that's why I've had so much motivation to write lately lol. That and also I'm really excited to start writing Rae's relationship with the rookie 9. Unfortunately, this chapter is shorter than the others, stopping just short of 2.8k words. I apologize, but I just had absolutely _no_ motivation to continue after a while, and I eventually just pushed out the ending here so I could post this half chapter here. I know if I stop writing this story for too long I'll get disinterested and get into other stuff like I did a few months ago and had forgotten to update it for months on end. I'm sorry! Take this and forgive me.

TamashinoSuzume- I will definitely be sure to add that awkward conversation in this story at some point or another, for sure. I can already see how huffy and puffy Naruto will get, and I bet one of them will drag her into the conversation at some point or another and try to make her choose. Oh boy, you got me excited to write something that won't be happening for a while. How dare you.

May525- Ohohohohohohoho you are going to be _regretting those words_ in later chapters, my friend. 8)

Enjoy the chapter! The chapter that finally has someone else's perspective for a while! You'll have to read to that spot to find out who it is, I'm not gonna spoil that one lol.))

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Rae sat silently, her face a carefully constructed blank mask that showed nothing as to what she was feeling inside. She sits in a polite stance, back straight and arms straight out in front of her and resting on her knees respectively. Across from her sits her parents, for once in all of Rae's admittedly small amount of memories looking disappointed and angry. Rae is almost glad. On the one hand, she's glad that they are no longer looking at her with pity in their eyes and a bone deep melancholy she could sense in them like they used to.

On the other hand, she is almost afraid of what punishment she will get for doing what she just did.

Not only was it completely and utterly disrespectful to just dis the Uchiha's Clan Heads' wife when the future heir to such an important and powerful Clan was visiting with the strict purpose to see _her_ and to run off without saying a word to her parents or family, but she was also a Clan Heiress. She had duties and responsibilities, and Rae was made very well aware of the fact that every action she took would reflect on her clan when her parents had sat her down and had a long talk about why what she did was wrong.

But Rae can't bring herself to care. She didn't care if her clan name was dragged through the mud and put out on strings for the whole village to laugh at. The only one in this stupid clan name that she even remotely cared for was her baby brother, Jirouko. She didn't care one bit about anyone else or what they thought of her or expected from her.

She never asked to be born into this. She never asked to become a figure that was worshiped and bowed down to by the others. They never asked her what _she_ wanted in this life.

And with each passing second of this dawning realization, Rae can only hate this village further and further. Who forces their children to forsake their own childhood, to ignore their own dreams and thoughts of happiness, all for the sake of _looking good_ in other peoples' eyes? Who tells a nine year old girl that she has to act more mature and intelligent than the other adults twice or three times her age, just so she won't _disappoint_ them?

If they can do this and say that there was nothing wrong with them, then Rae can comfortably say that this village and everyone in it can go right to Hell.

 _Well,_ she thinks fondly for just a second, _perhaps not everybody in the village._

For just a split second, a head of blond hair and a bright, blinding grin flash through her eyes. Naruto had been a fresh of breath air. He had been a bright, warm light in this dark and cold place Rae wanted no part in. After helping him clean his apartment, she had spent another few hours with him. She had taken him shopping and had bought a few vegetables and some meat to make him a good, homemade meal for dinner. She'd decided to do that the second that she had learned that Naruto only ever ate Ramen, either from Ichiraku's or from the small packs of instant noodles that he had in bulk, or rice that he had made himself. But that did not bring her any comfort when she learned that he had no idea how to properly make rice. It was like trying to eat wood chips, honestly.

So she had immediately gone to the store, letting him hold her hand and hum some strange tune she'd never heard of as he skipped along beside her happily. She steered clear of any stalls that glared down at the little boy, and while he never seemed to mind it now that he had someone older to walk with him through this part of the market, Rae had begun to wonder why everyone was treating him so badly. Had he done something? She knew he was being chased by a group of adults when they met, but she doubted the entire village decided to treat him like an outsider in the short amount of time it took for him to pull off some dumb prank he might have done.

But she was fond of him, and would help him when she could. Especially after seeing the way he looked at her home cooked meal as if Kami himself had come down to give him a good, healthy meal for once. He'd scarfed it all down within minutes - except the vegetables, of course, which she had to force feed him.

That fond and fuzzy memory is ripped from her mind as her father slams his hand down onto the table in front of the both of them. Her mother doesn't even flinch, but Rae notes that she is looking down at her hands with unshed tears in her eyes.

Rae pretends she doesn't feel a grim satisfaction at seeing that.

"What were you _thinking,_ Keiko?!" Her father shouts, not even bothering with any honorifics, and Rae turns her angry eyes at him.

"That is not my name," she says, sounding as calm as ever despite the anger in her eyes. She pretends she doesn't notice the slight sliver of something flashing she thought must have been a wary fear through her father's eyes at her tone before it disappears.

Instead, he gets even angrier, and he grits his teeth together as he prepares to shout up a storm at her. Her mother places one delicate hand on his upper arm and he is calm in an instant. She looks up at him sadly.

"It's too late to be so loud, dear," she intones quietly. Rae knows she doesn't actually care about how late it is, or how loud her husband is being. She knows her mother just can't bear to see the love of her life yelling at their daughter. Rae doesn't feel bad about it at all.

"You left Mikoto-san waiting for hours with her son, the heir to the Uchiha Clan, to go off and play with some fiendish child! If what you really wanted was to drag the Shimizu name through the dirt and mud, then the least you could have done would have been to renounce yourself!" He threw his hands up in the air, and Rae knows he doesn't mean any of the things he's saying because she can see the sadness and fear in his eyes, but she can't help but think about his words.

"Kazuhiko!" Rae's mother snaps at her husband in an angry, clipped tone, eyes wide at the idea of him even jokingly suggesting something like that.

"Can I?" Rae asks silently, as calm as ever even with the tint of curiosity in her words. Could she? Was it actually possible to renounce herself as part of their clan?

Because that's what it was, in the end really. It was their clan, not hers. It had never been hers.

Both of her parents turn to look at her with bewildered shock in their eyes. Kazuhiko looked so damn guilty for even bringing the subject up, and he stuttered over his words, trying to find something to say.

"Absolutely not!" Her mother snaps first instead.

"Why not?" She turns her steely gaze to the woman. Rae has to give credit when due, the woman hardly flinched, returning the stare unwaveringly.

"I will not allow it," she bit out with no small amount of vehemence. Her delicate shoulders were tense under her blue and white yukata. Her husband seems to have backed out of this conversation, eyes constantly flitting back and forth between his wife and daughter as he tries to track the argument between their eyes.

The room goes deathly silent as the two females stare each other down, the temperature seeming to drop several degrees as if it were aware of the awkward tensions between family members. Rae can hear a silent cracking beneath the table, and has to force her face into an impassive mask of indifference when she sees ice slowly creaking up the small table where her mother sat. Was she a kunoichi? No, Rae could tell she wasn't using any chakra, this couldn't be a jutsu of some type. What was it? It extended onto the table top in intricate patterns that Rae desperately tried not to get lost in. She stared up into her mother's eyes nonetheless, forcing herself to not stare. She would not lose this and roll over like some meek prey. She was stronger than that.

So when the woman across from her faulted and looked suddenly hesitant of herself, Rae fought to keep down her smirk of satisfaction. Instead, she stood to her full height. It wasn't much, of course, but she was able to look down her nose at the two adults as they were still sitting. The woman looked almost resigned with surprise, and the man looked utterly confused and a little frightened.

"Where are you going?" Her father asks almost hesitantly. Rae wonders why the both of them seem to be confused and startled. Was it really so unlikely that she would win a match of dominance against the woman across from her? She seemed thin and frail, like she was made of ice. Only a coward would turn away from even her gaze.

"I think this conversation is done," she intones to him matter-of-factly.

She turns, still staring into the woman's eyes until she could no longer see the two of them over her shoulders, and takes a single step before her mother finally speaks up again.

"You can't just disobey your parents like th-"

" _You're not my parents._ "

And she turns and leaves, not bothering to look back over her shoulder at the shocked faces of the two adults.

* * *

She can hardly comprehend what had just happened. That wasn't what she expected to happen at all, even if she might have realized that she shouldn't have pushed the other so hard.

Emiko can only stare at the door her daughter had just closed behind her as she walked up the stairs to the spare bedroom she knew the girl would be sleeping in tonight. The way the door silently clicked shut made her cringe back. It was unnatural, the way she had been acting to them lately. Yes, she knew of her daughter's wound, about how she didn't remember them, and _yes,_ it tore her heart to shreds to see her daughter gaze up at her mother's face with only confusion in her eyes. There was no love or longing or even remembrance in those eyes she had been so familiar with.

Because she was not familiar with those eyes. She was not familiar with that gaze.

That was not her daughter. That was not her dear quiet, polite Keiko who looked like such a promising leader from a young age. That was not her little Butterfly, the fragile young girl who was so gentle and kind and loving that Emiko could only cry every time she thought of how much she loved her little girl.

She could see this from the moment she saw her again, at the gates of her home. She could see the sand in her hair and clothing, the way she had a tan unlike anyone else in her bloodline could ever possess due to their unnaturally pale skin, and the way she could see the just barely growing muscles under her skin. Every female in their bloodline had a slim, small physique. She remembered that Keiko used to be just like her, just like every female in their clan, with thin limbs befitting of a graceful dancer and beautiful white hair.

Emiko was always aware that her daughter had been unique, though, hadn't she?

She was like every female of her clan, but at the same time, she wasn't. No other woman in their clan had those peachy dots across their skin. Of course, a few males had slightly darker splotches of skin across their cheeks that faded in time, but not a single one of them had rosey dots coloring their body. It went across her cheeks and down the sides of her face, trailing down her arms and legs and only ending just below the knee.

At first, the clan elders had disliked the girl. They stated that she was too _different._ Too unique from the clan, with her rosy complexion dotted with a map of freckles, with her wild mane of hair that refused to stay down for more than a few seconds, and her odd level of intelligence. There were a few heart stopping months in which the elders looked down at Emiko and accused her of sleeping with another man, someone outside of the clan bloodlines.

But that all went away as the girl grew older, and the clan elders could see the prodigy in the making. They saw the way she was far too intelligent for her years, and the way she did everything she was told without complaint. She followed every rule and was polite and endearing to every person, even the elders who so viciously had wanted to claim that she was not one of the Shimizu. The way she learned the way of their clan and showed such strong leadership traits by the time she could barely string together coherent sentences, a feat she had learned at such a young age that it almost frightened her husband.

But no, Emiko could never be frightened of her daughter. She could never hate her, even as her eyes trail down to the spot she was once sitting, across from her and her husband's own seats.

She didn't hate her even as the ice melted from where it had been produced where she had just been sitting.

* * *

((A/N: Surprise! A bit of insight into dear momma Shimizu's mind. Poor woman. She's just as convinced as Rae is that Rae is not the same person as Keiko. Also a bit of insight as to what Keiko was like. I wonder why Keiko was a super intelligent prodigy who learned to walk and talk at a younger age than normal :)

Question!: If you were to describe Rae's personality, what kind of person would you say she was?

Leave a few reviews, pretty please, they may help me gain motivation to get this going a little better. Ciao!))


	14. Another One!

((A/N: Yo! I got a lot of good answers to the last question in the reviews this time around. You guys are so great and supportive to Rae and her struggles. I don't feel the need to reply to any of the reviews because there were no questions, they were all simply descriptions of what you all felt Rae's personality was like, but I do want to say a quick thing to Ori Heartlyng. They had mentioned how they thought Rae was helping Naruto because she subconsciously thought of him as someone just like Gaara(before he lost control of Shukaku), and I want to state that you are absolutely correct! I was going to make it a point to add in the story somewhere where Rae realizes the reason she felt so strongly drawn to Naruto was because she realizes that he is just like Gaara, but apparently you smart cookies are already catching onto that.

Also Rae would totally appreciate your undying understanding of her situation, Kejmur. Hugs for you.

On another note, though, you all are amazing! This story has almost 130 followers, almost 100 favorites, and roughly 50 reviews! You guys are so, so amazing I'mma cry. The only thing that would make me break down now is if someone made fan art or wrote a fan story of this(*innocent whistling*).

Anyway, this has gotten long enough already, so let's get on to the chapter! The chapter which is over 4.5k words, as per my usual promise, and thanks to you guys giving me a hell of a lot of motivation to work with. By the time this chapter is posted, I already have roughly 300 words started for the next chapter! Hopefully I can get the next chapter finished a bit earlier than this one was. Thanks you guys, I love you all.

I don't even know if you guys read these long ass A/Ns lol. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, honestly...

Enjoy the chapter!))

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There were many things people could handle when in a stressful situation. Some would say being stressed can make one stronger or faster, or give them the strength to go on for just a little while longer. Something like a last minute energy boost, right?

Rae doesn't think it's too helpful. She stands in her room - _her room, not Keiko's -_ pacing back and forth, arms swaying at her side as she turns on her heel once more to continue her pacing. She glares down at the ground, as if staring at it would make it burst into flames. Let's be real, someone out there might be able to actually do that, but when nothing happens, Rae just scowls.

She crosses her arms over her chest, turns on her heel, then uncrosses her arms again. She crosses them again a second later, just to give her arms something to do.

She doesn't like this. She doesn't like feeling like she has so much energy, but nothing to do with it all. Not two hours ago she had gotten into that argument with the adults downstairs - _not my family, never my family -_ and had stomped her way up to her room. She felt petty, like she was acting so much younger than she really was, but as she paces back and forth in her bedroom while glaring down at the floor, she can't help it.

She crosses her arms.

What was the point of it? Why do they care so much about what she does? She doesn't know them, they don't know her. There was no point to them watching over her shoulder at her every move. She felt constricted, like she was locked up in a prison of solitude, and they were doing their damnedest to keep her locked up here.

She uncrosses her arms.

They aren't her parents. They aren't her family. They tore her family away from her, they tore them away and told her to suck it up. They told her to get used to the way things are now, because 'this was her home'. No. Never a home. Never _her_ home.

She crosses her arms again, stuffed tighter to her chest this time. She just felt as though there were so much energy coursing through her body that she couldn't help but be in constant motion. She uncrosses her arms, goes to cross them again, but brings them up to either side of her head instead. She pauses in her tracks as she stares down at the ground, less of a glare on her features this time around as a wary panic begins to settle on her features.

She just _doesn't_ _know what to do._

And she squashes down the urge to cry. It was difficult, she really, really felt like letting out a strangled scream and breaking something. Rae knows this thought process is no good and probably unhealthy for her mental state, but she can't seem to apply the logic to her emotions at the moment. So she grips her white hair tightly in her clenched fists and stared, wide eyed, down at the ground. She knows she's hyperventilating.

And then she just stops. Her eyelids flutter down to a less wide-eyed stare, her grasp goes loose and she lets go of her hair as she simply looks down at the wooden floor without really _seeing_ the wooden floor. She calms her breathing to a simple quick panting, as if she had just finished running around for an hour or two.

Her hands fall to intertwine together at the back of her neck and she lifts her head, staring at the door that would lead to the small hallway outside. With the sudden silence in the room, she can hear Jirouko crying softly from his crib in the room across from Keiko's own room.

She doesn't wait even a second before she is flinging her door open and making her way down the hallway to her baby brother's room.

Creaking open the door, Rae doesn't bother flicking the lights on. The sudden bright lights would only further agitate Jirouko, and Rae has had enough stealth training in her kunoichi classes that she can safely traverse a slightly dark room - the lights from the room downstairs was spilling up into the hallways, and into Jirouko's now open bedroom door.

Rae stands beside the dark blue cradle, takes just a second to hate everything about the strict color scheme of the Shimizu clan, and reaches down to pick up her brother.

"Shh, hey, hey," Rae whispers in a soothing tone, turning to sit on the floor with her back to the baby's crib. Jirouko is still crying in her arms, but quieter now. His deep blue eyes are open, and he looks up at his big sister in slight confusion. Rae wonders why he was crying. Maybe he could tell that bad things were happening. She took just a moment to think about whether babies could understand emotions even if they couldn't understand words, then lets out a gentle smile and pushes a few whispy blue strands of hair away from Jirouko's face. He reaches up and clutches at her hand with both of his own chubby hands.

He's still crying, although it was down to sniffles and hiccups now. Rae begins bumping her leg up and down gently, hoping to soothe his sadness.

"Why are you sad, baby? Is it because of the loud noises downstairs? Those big clumsy adults are pretty loud, huh?" Jirouko lets out a tiny laugh that Rae feels lifts her spirits just a bit. She wipes away the tear tracks on his face and allows him to grab and cuddle her hand close to his face, no matter how much she wanted to pull away and wash the snot and saliva off of her hand.

"You're a gross baby sometimes, you know that?"

He lets out another innocent bubble of laughter. Rae feels lighter and happier, and she wants to smile down at him. Instead, Rae's smile flickers for just a moment before falling from her features altogether. She leans her back against the crib and lets out a heavy sigh.

"You don't deserve this, Jirou-chan. I know I have problems, but you're too young to be wrapped up in all of this. You don't deserve having to deal with those jerks downstairs." She looks down at his smiling face, his deep blue eyes rimmed red from his crying session. "...you don't deserve having to deal with me."

He clutches her hand tighter to himself, and Rae has the sudden thought that maybe he can understand her, understand what she's saying. When he sticks her hand in his mouth and bites down on her middle finger, she takes it back and considers cursing. She doesn't, of course, but the thought does flash through her mind for just a second.

Rae has dealt with kunai cuts and taijutsu bruises before, so she was trained just enough to not scream or yank her arm away from the giggling baby, but she does allow the pain to register clear on her face as she tries to gently pry her hand away from his mouth. He doesn't even have teeth yet. Rae is honestly shocked on how much soft gums hurt when they bit down on you with all their might. She has a new wary fear of really old people.

When he giggles and clutches her tighter, simply chewing on her finger - softer, this time, it doesn't hurt anymore - she just gives up and lets him. There's no point in making him cry when she had come in here to make him stop crying. Besides, maybe she needed that bit of pain to bring her back to the real world.

Her thoughts are quiet, now. She doesn't think of the past, of Keiko, of Suna, or even of Konoha. All Rae thinks about in that instance was her adorable baby brother. chewing away on her finger. She makes a mental note to let the adults downstairs know that Jirouko had started teething at some point. She would rather not have to talk to them again, especially not so soon after the mess up that had occurred just hours before, but she would always put Jirouko's health before her own comfort. She knew she was just being childish by wanting to ignore them, to give them the cold shoulder and hope that they felt bad for...

For what?

No, Rae knows what she's angry about. They should feel ashamed for trying to make her become Keiko.

Her lips thin out on her features, and she furrows her brows as she thinks.

Is it really their fault? Rae wants to be angry at them, but not because of what they're doing - okay, not _only_ because of what they're doing, but she's still pretty pissed about all of this clan stuff. She is angry at them because she _wants_ to be angry. She wants to feel the bitter hatred in her gut because of what they forced her to leave behind. It's their fault. They are to blame for her misery.

She isn't Keiko. She isn't their daughter. She isn't the girl they loved. The girl they loved is long gone, Keiko Shimizu died eight months ago. She's been dead ever since, and she won't be coming back. But is that their fault? Is it their fault for hoping against hope that their daughter might be alive somewhere in there, somewhere inside of Rae? Lurking in the back of her mind, ready to spring free the moment she can?

And then Rae pauses, a new fear overcoming her.

Is she? Are those memories really just watering around somewhere in the back of her head, begging to be set free? Will those memories come out one day?

She wouldn't know what to do if they did. She's been convincing herself for so long, _so long,_ that she was Rae. Just Rae. She couldn't handle knowing that she used to be someone else once upon a time. She wouldn't know who she really was if that ever happened.

Her mind drifts back to the black and white journal she had seen in Keiko's room, the one with her own handwriting on it, and she couldn't help but wonder. If she read those journals, would Keiko's memories come back to her...? Would she recognize anything in the other girl's notebooks?

 _What was in the journals?_ She had been too afraid to look into them last time, but now...

Jirouko lets out a happy sounding coo and slobbers all over his chin, and Rae looks down at the boy. She finally sighs and pulls her hand back from the boy. She loves him, she really does, but there is only so much baby saliva she can handle for the time being. She had long since past reached her limit, even if he does look really sad when he reaches out for her.

She lifts the bundle up in her arms and puts him back in his crib quietly, wrapping his blue blanket around him - and really, Rae wants to scream at how much _blue_ there was in this house, blue, blue, _blue_ \- and wiping away the drool from his chin with her hand. It was already dirty, so she figured it didn't matter for now. After making sure he wouldn't cry out if she left - she gave him his pacifier - she left the room quietly, shutting the door halfway so there was just a bit of light creaking into the room.

Then she makes her way down the hall and into the second floor's bathroom, rinses her hand real quick in the bathroom's sink, and begins to strip off her clothes at the same time as she turns on the bathtub faucet to warm. She hadn't showered that night anyway, so she figured she would clean her whole body instead of just her hand.

Once in the warm bath, just hot enough to possibly color her skin slightly red, she sighs, drooping her head down to rest on her chest. At the feeling of something smooth and cold pressing against her skin, she looks down at the necklace she wore. She hadn't taken it off when stripping from her clothing, and she wasn't certain if she wanted to take it off even now.

A pang of sadness stabs through her chest at the sight of the swirling desert colors. Red, yellow, orange, and just a bit of warm brown all mixed together to form a beautiful image of her home. She thinks it almost looks like a small planet, like she held all of Suna in her hand inside the tiny glass pearl, and she smiles. It lacks any joy or happiness, however, and she lets it drop. She would not give fake smiles to them, to her home and to her family. Suna deserved more than just a fake smile.

She grips the quarter sized ball of desert - _of home -_ in the palm of her right hand and frowns.

Her wavy white locks fell just long enough for the tips of her hair to reach into the bath water, and Rae's frown only deepens. Why had she let it grow out so long? Why hadn't she cut it shorter sooner, or even after she had arrived in Konoha?

She remembers everyone telling her, though, of how much she looked like a little boy, and she remembers why she had originally wanted to grow out her hair. She had wanted Suna to know who she really was. She felt as though looking like a boy was like hiding who she truly was from them, and she hadn't wanted that. But Konoha...

Did Konoha even deserve to know who she truly was? Did they deserve to get to know her like Suna did?

She looks up at the mirror on the opposite side of the room, facing her direction and giving her a direct view of herself. Everything below the shoulders were sunk deep into the bubbly water, but Rae frowns. She looks like a girl. The long, wavy white hair framed her now delicate looking face in a beautiful way, and her eyes looked rounder than they used to be. Her neck and shoulders were slim, dotted with small peach-colored dots, like a graceful dancer's, not like a boy's should be. The one hand raised above the water that was clutching at her little piece of home was thin and delicate.

She felt angry.

No. This wasn't her. Rae didn't look like this. This was what they wanted _Keiko_ to look like, this is what they wanted Keiko to _be._

She raised herself out of the tub, ignoring how chilly the air seemed in comparison to the warm water, and marched over to the sink. She didn't bother thinking through her actions as she stops in front of the mirror, grabbed the blue handled scissors - _blue, blue, blue, so **suffocating** -_ and begins slicing off chunks of her hair. She first began haphazardly cutting off as much of the long strands as she could, but after a few moments, she began to carefully cut to style the hair. Just because she hated looking so feminine didn't mean she had to look ridiculous.

A minute of cutting later, she set down those insufferable blue scissors and looked into the mirror. There was white hair clumped onto her wet shoulders and chest, but she was satisfied with how she looked. Her eyes may still be a bit rounder than before, but with her hair so much shorter she looked once more like a slightly feminine boy. Her hair reached just above her ears now, tickling the nape of her neck just slightly, with her bangs swept off to the right side. There were two locks of hair on either side of her face that were slightly longer than the rest, sweeping down and resting a little bit below her ears.

Satisfied, she gave an excited smile.

It was ruined by the outraged scream her mother gave her a second later when she saw her new haircut.

* * *

It was at six thirty in the morning the next day that her punishment came. For what? For skipping out on Mikoto and her sons. What was the punishment you may ask?

To go hang out with Mikoto and her sons.

Only, this time, Mikoto would be there to escort her to the Uchiha clan grounds, to make sure she couldn't run away. At one point, Rae scoffed and muttered that she could totally outrun an old woman who had two kids, but she shut up pretty quick at the terrifying smile Mikoto sent her. There was no kindness in that smile, and Rae was reminded why she had admired Mikoto in the first place.

Rae had asked to bring along Jirouko as well, but the two adults behind her had adamantly denied her the opportunity to ignore Mikoto's children. Rae damned them to hell for seeing through her plans so easily. If she had Jirouko with her, she would have an actual excuse not to talk to anyone else, pretending to be too busy with a baby. Which, yes, she would totally be busy with Jirouko because, come on, _he's Jirouko how can you not give him your undivided attention,_ but she wouldn't really have been too invested not to talk to anyone.

She she wasn't even going to be able to _pretend_ she was invested in anything.

Nothing other than being grumpy, of course. Rae is going to make this just as miserable for the other kids as it is for her, just to spite everyone who is forcing her to socialize with other people her age. And _yes_ , she glared at Mikoto, Rae is _not going to give in_ even to Mikoto's scary smile.

"Are you excited, Rae-chan?" Mikoto asks with a deceptively gentle smile as she walks beside Rae. She had said it was so she be close to her favorite little Shimizu, but Rae thinks it's more likely that it's so she can grab her if she makes a run for it. Again.

"Ecstatic, Mikoto-sama," Rae responds in a dry tone. Mikoto looks down at her for just a second at the honorific that Rae had never used for her before, but just smiles again and goes silent. The rest of the walk is quiet and uneventful.

When Rae walks through the front gates to the Uchiha grounds, she looks around in barely concealed wonder. She didn't want to give them the impression that she was _happy to be here,_ but she was just too excited to see what the inside of the compound looked like to hide it. When she glanced up at Mikoto, the older lady was giving her a knowing smile. Rae immediately frowned and tried her best to look angry and grumpy. She pretended she couldn't hear Mikoto silently laughing beside her.

When she entered the older woman's home, however, Rae dropped the act. The house was so neat and pristine, and Rae loved the deep mahogany colors, blending well with browns, reds, and blacks. There was the occasional light blue or various shadings of grey, and Rae couldn't help but feel like it was _so much prettier_ than her own house. There was far too much blues and whites in her own home, it was suffocating and Rae felt as though the color itself was a prison to her.

She decided that her new favorite color would be red. New, being as it used to be green. She supposed green could be her second favorite color...

Mikoto cleared her throat, and Rae snapped out of her thoughts, looking up at the woman. She was smiling pleasantly.

"Keiko-chan," Rae felt betrayed, "I would to introduce you to my youngest son, Sasuke Uchiha." She lifted her delicate looking hand and gestured to the hall way in front of them. Following her line of sight, and momentarily forgetting that Mikoto had just called her by a stranger's name, she looked down the hallway in curiosity. She blinked once.

There, standing in the very front of the hallway with his tiny, chubby arms crossed across his chest, was a little boy with dark, dark hair and even darker eyes, glaring at her with all his might. He glared as if he could light her on fire with looks alone.

It didn't work, but Rae had to give him props for trying.

Then she squealed because _oh god he's just as tiny and chubby as Naruto._

The boy looked incredibly confused for a second, his stance faltering, and Mikoto outright laughed. Rae looked up at the woman with a question in her wide, blue eyes and her mouth hung open in surprise. Mikoto gave an approving nod, and Rae gave a grin that would scare even the most hardened of criminals, running forward as fast as her legs could carry her. The little boy looked absolutely horrified for a second before he turned on his heel and tried to flee further into the house. Alas, as Rae's legs were longer than his, she caught up to him before he could take his second step.

She wrapped her arms around his abdomen and lifted him up into her arms. Rae takes back what she said earlier, he isn't as small as Naruto. _He's even smaller._ He was barely tall enough to reach up to her waist when they were standing earlier, and now, as he struggles uselessly in her arms, his legs aren't even long enough to kick her in the knees, although he was desperately trying to.

"You're so freaking _cute!_ Oh god, oh god, I love you, I love you so much, my name is Rae, but you can call me Nee-chan, you must be Sasuke-"

The little boy gave out a startled yelp, and Rae could see his face and ears burning a deep red. In a strangled, terrified voice, he shouted at the top of his lungs,

" _NII-SAN_ _!_ HELP ME!"

Immediately, Rae hears silent footsteps thudding across the bend at the end of the hallway, steadily getting louder. Mikoto is barely stifling laughter behind her hands, and Rae is both curious and a little scared. She had heard that the elder son was already a trained shinobi, and had already seen combat many times. She wondered if he would be riddled with scars and battle hardened. She momentarily panicked and felt like maybe one hug from a little boy wasn't worth it to be killed by a dangerous, blood thirsty, killer-

-and then the boy rounds the corner, and Rae has to pause. The look in his eye is absolutely _terrifying._ Probably because he legitimately expected his little brother to be in actual danger, considering the bloodcurdling scream he had let out when Rae began calling him cute. His bare feet slid across the wooded ground for a second, as if to tell her how fast he was running to come to his brother's aid.

He looks at his brother. He looks at her. He looks at his mother behind the both of them. When they share a look Rae couldn't see, his posture relaxes instantly, and he drops out of the pose that Rae recognized as _being ready for hand to hand combat._

She grins.

Still carrying Sasuke - albeit, now her arms were holding him up around the armpits as all of his kicking and thrashing had made him slide down in her hold slightly - she ran forward and stopped just a foot in front of the other child. He was an inch or two shorter than her, and Rae stuffed down the feeling of smug satisfaction for just a second before she reaches one hand out.

To his credit, the boy is too skilled to flinch when she reaches out for him, but he does look wary of her. She places her left hand on top of his shoulder, using her right arm to grasp Sasuke more firmly in her arms, even though he had stopped thrashing the moment he saw his Nii-san.

Then, the grin drops from her face and she is completely serious. Her brows furrow down and she narrows her eyes into slits, the deep blue hardening into something she hoped looked absolutely sinister. She could feel the tension in the room, even from behind her where she knew Mikoto was standing. She leaned forward until she was less than a few inches away from his face, and even though she could feel his breath on her cheek, she narrowed her eyes further and said in the most serious voice she could muster,

" _You are the_ _cutest ten year old boy I have ever seen._ "

He was not skilled enough to stop his dark charcoal eyes from widening, or from the red tint spreading across his features.

Sasuke reaches one chubby hand up and punches her in the throat.

* * *

((A/N: Happy April Fool's Day, by the way! It's only 3 A.M. where I live as I'm posting this, but happy April 1st anyway ya nerds.

Real quick: If any of you read this chapter earlier and are confused as to why you're seeing it again, it's because I forgot to add a lot of things I wanted to put into this chapter, so i took it down, fixed it, then put it back up. I also forgot to add the question at the end, which made me sad. Here's your question!

Question!: What three characters from the show would you enjoy seeing Rae meet? I, for one, am incredibly fucking excited to start writing about Madara, but, unfortunately, that won't be for a long while. Second question, who else is as in love with Madara as I am? Sexy bastard.

See you next time!))


	15. Greet The Uchihas

((A/N: Hello! Thanks for all the reviews from the last chapter! Quick thing: remember when I mentioned Rika Uchiha being in the story? She comes in, in this chapter. Remember that Rika is not my own character, and go over to pecollia's account to read their stories!

TamashinoSuzune- I love your reasons lol. I just remembered Tobirama has the same messy white hair as Rae does, so I'm almost legitimately considering your third option... Something will definitely happen because of it. Also Sai will definitely become her minion, whether he likes it or not. :)

BlackdoveWhitedove- I also love Killer Bee. He's the coolest rapper out there, to be honest. And Jiraiya, huh? Considering how she's five years older than Naruto is, she's be at least 17 by the time they meet, what with Naruto being 12 or so when he meets Jiraiya. Huh. That means I can actually write Jiraiya's perviness at Rae. _Nice._ He's definitely going in. Also, hell yes, I'm glad someone agrees with me on how cool Madara is. I'm in love.

May525- Rae is currently 9, Itachi is 10, Sasuke is 4, Naruto is 4, and Rika is roughly somewhere between 12-13(I went back and read the story to get a feel for how much older she is than Itachi, and she's roughly 2 years older). Did I get everyone? I don't think the adults' ages are important enough to comment on, but if you wanna know their ages too let me know and I can put that information in the next A/N or something.

Disclaimer: **Rika Uchiha** belongs to **pecollia's** story, **Dragonfly.**

With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Rae ran, laughing, all the way down the long street. Even though she had left her shoes behind at Mikoto's home when she had run out of the house to chase after the running Itachi - carrying his little brother protectively against his chest - she didn't slow down. She hadn't really thought about it, in hindsight. Itachi had blushed a deep red from her calling him cute - and, really, she meant it in a friendly way, not the way he was thinking - and had sputtered for just a split second. Just a second, before grabbing the young boy in her arms that had just punched her in the throat, _he was so weak and chubby it didn't even make her choke_ , and making a run for it out the front door, past a very confused, very worried Emiko Shimizu.

She immediately turned to follow him. Though Rae knew she was faster than most kids her age, both because of her height advantage giving her longer legs than the others but also because she had had a bit of training in that field, she was sure she couldn't even hope to catch up to the much faster boy.

Which is why she was completely and utterly caught off guard when she rounded the corner and ran face-first into someone's chest. She had been running at a speed fast enough that instead of the both of them falling to the ground in either direction, Rae had pushed over the other person and went right down with them.

Rae sat still for a moment, her face in pain from the rather rough tumble, and she could hear the person under her groan in the same pain she knew she was in. Rae raises one hand to lift herself up, placing it on the other person's shirt as she pushes herself up into a seated position.

The first thought that went through her mind in that instance was that the girl underneath her was _beautiful._ She had short black hair, swept off to one side and a complete and utter mess in the back with strands of dark hair sticking up in every direction. She was taller than Rae was, and wide, dark eyes with hints of purple stared up at her in confusion. There was a beautiful hairpin done up delicately in the side of her hair, and Rae thought it looked like a purple dragonfly. Then, the beautiful lady who looked a year or two older than her opened her mouth to speak,

"You're squashin' my boob."

It took all of three seconds for Rae to comprehend the sentence, look down at her hand, and realize that the area she had grabbed onto to push herself up was, in fact, a boob.

It took another second for full comprehension to sink in, and when it did, Rae's face either became as white as a sheet or as red as a tomato. She wasn't entirely certain. She was both horrified and embarrassed beyond all hell. She was horrifyingly embarrassed.

She let out a noise that sounded like a mouse squeaking and jumped up as fast as she could, jumping a foot away from the girl and wiping her hand on her blue shirt's side as if to ward off some germ or illness. She felt like she touched something _gross._

The girl sat up, propped up on her elbows, and raised one brow at Rae. Her eyes looked up and down at her, and Rae realized with a growing, horrifying terror, that she was still dressed as a boy in her long sleeved blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and her dark blue cargo pants that hid her slim legs. Her face was warming up by the second as she stared down at the very pretty, very confused girl on the ground.

"Feelin' me up? Too young for my tastes," she waves Rae off with a dismissive wave of her hand, and Rae doesn't know whether to feel extremely lucky that the Uchiha girl wasn't going to set her on fire for accidentally copping a feel, or angered at the fact that she had just been dismissed with a simple wave of the hand like some kind of a common servant.

"I-I-" Rae tries to explain herself, maybe make up some excuse as to why she just did, in fact, feel the girl up. She stumbles over her words and doesn't quite know what to do, though. "I didn't- I mean I-I wasn't -"

The girl on the ground lets out a very unladylike snort before finally standing up, brushing off her knees even though it was her backside that had gotten dirt and dust all over it. Her knee-length dark violet dress held the Uchiha clan emblem on her front proudly, and though the girl was also wearing pants that went down past her knees, Rae still felt as though the clothing was not right for her, not appropriate. She didn't know why. Perhaps because her outfit wasn't completely black as if she were going to a funeral, as all other Uchiha that she had met thus far had seemed to dress as.

"S'no problem, kid," The girl brushes off the encounter easily. Rae felt like correcting her until she remembered that, yes, she was in fact a kid. "You'll just buy me some buns to make up f'er it!" The Uchiha girl was grinning a crooked grin, one hand clenched into a fist and resting atop her open palm, as if she just decided it was a worthy punishment on the spot.

Rae blinked once.

Then again.

Unfortunately for her, saying "o-oh?" was all she had the brain capacity to say at the time.

She grinned, and Rae felt very much afraid. It seemed terrifying smiles was in the blood of all the women of the Uchiha clan. Maybe even the men, if Rae were ever able to make one of them smile.

"Lots of 'em!"

And then there was a boy standing behind the both of them, and Rae nearly screamed when he spoke up in a somewhat out of breath state, "Rika-chan!" Rae turned on her heels in a flurry of panic as she tried to understand who was suddenly behind her. Hell, she was still trying to understand who was _in front of her_.

The girl seemed to smile, though.

"Shisui!"

And Rae just pauses, looking back and forth between the two Uchiha - _they are both very pretty,_ Rae notices-, wondering if this 'Shisui' person would get angry at how disrespectful it is to not use honorifics at the end of a person's name.

The older looking boy doesn't seem to notice, or at least not care. He looked exasperated, and as soon as the girl, Rika, finishes dusting herself off, Shisui leans down with his hands on his knees, panting slightly. A moment of silence passes by before he finally looks up, still bent over with his hands on his knees, with a slight smile on his face. His eyes shut closed, and Rae can't help but notice how pretty his long eyelashes are.

"I have been... looking for you.. for hours!"

The other girl shrugs, nonchalant.

"I been here."

Rae only just now takes notice how terrible the girls' way of speaking seemed to be. She felt the need to correct her, but stayed silent as she awkwardly watched the two Uchiha talk to each other as if she weren't here at all.

"Doing what?" The boy asked, finally standing back up to his full height. Rae notices he's a few inches taller than her. Looking off to the side, at the other girl, she realizes that the other girl is roughly an inch and a half shorter than her. Despite the Uchiha girl's shorter height, both of the Uchihas present look older than Rae.

"Gettin' felt up by squirt here," she shrugs again, as if nothing about the situation really mattered to her, and Rae froze. Any sense of humor she might have been feeling a moment before was instantly wiped away when the older boy turns just slightly to look down at Rae. There was obvious shock and confusion on his pretty features, but underneath those emotions was obvious anger. Maybe jealousy.

Rae squints at him in suspicion, but otherwise stays silent.

Even though she can feel her face getting hotter than the sand in the middle of the desert afternoon.

"...Right. I don't believe we've met. Shisui Uchiha," he holds out his hand, despite his obvious feelings towards this strange 'boy' that felt up his.. what, cousin? Distant relative? Friend? Definite crush? Yeah, definite crush. Rae stares at his hand for just a second before thrusting her own arm out, maybe much faster than she had meant to, but she was just very desperate to get this entire conversation out and over with, and definitely out of her mind. She had just wanted to find Itachi and bother him about how cute he and his little brother were.

Now she wanted nothing more than to go home and melt into a puddle underneath her bed and never get up again.

"I-I, uh-" Rae stammers, and she knows her grip is probably clammy and gross. Rika snickers from her side, and Rae flushes harder. It was unfair, to be judged by such pretty people. Rae decided she no longer liked being here.

And then she pauses because what would she say her name was? Keiko was out of the question, for very obvious reasons. Rae was too feminine of a name for her to continue going around as a boy if she told them that it was her name.

"...K-Kei... Kei Shimizu.."

Shisui raises one thin brow in thought, but nods and seems to accept it as her name anyway. She holds her sigh of relief. She felt slight apprehension about going by the first half of the name she was learning to seriously despise, but if it helped her cover, she didn't mind it whatsoever.

"Shimizu, huh?" Shisui asked. There was something in his voice that made Rae nervous, but she just nodded along, finally pulling back her hand. He wiped his hand on his shirt, and Rae didn't even have it in her to feel embarrassed about that one thing. "I heard the Uchiha and Shimizu were close, but I didn't think the Elders would just let you guys wander around our compound. Seems kind of, I don't know, odd, right?"

Rae opened her mouth, ready to make up some half assed excuse, but Rika spoke before she could.

"Does it matter? He looks like he's gonna die from embarrassment, Shisui, let's just go."

Apparently, her word was law to the boy in front of the both of them, as he dropped his line of questioning immediately and settled with just nodding enthusiastically at the Uchiha girl.

"You're right. See you around, Kei-san. Nice meeting you."

It didn't feel like he meant it.

Rika lifted one hand and waved as she and the older boy walked off together with some random destination in mind, before pointing one finger back at her and saying in a stern voice,

"Remember! Buns! Lots of buns!"

Shisui looks momentarily startled by her shouting as they got farther away, but didn't bother asking what it was about.

Finally, they rounded the corner and left Rae alone, and she deflated. She put her back against the concrete wall, paused, and then slid down the wall. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on her knees.

That was...

Unnecessarily tense.

* * *

"I'm back," Rae calls out in a slight shout as she enters her clan's main home's front door. Saying 'I'm home' still doesn't feel quite right to her, so saying 'I'm back' will have to do for now. She pauses in the doorway and leans down to take off her blue sandals. She was starting to get very sick of the color blue, but that thought was out of her mind the moment she heard foot steps coming down the front hallway.

Her mother rounded the corner, carrying Jirouko in her arms as she greets Rae home.

"Welcome back, sweetheart," she smiles. Rae notices her avoidance with calling her Keiko like she usually would, and something clenches in her chest. She doesn't think about that. "How was your time? Did you have fun?"

Rae pauses in her effort of removing her footwear, looks up slightly as she thinks, and lets a small smile color her features.

"It wasn't too bad." Emiko's face lightens immediately, and she looked so much less stress as she looked just a second ago. It made her feel almost bad at how she had been treating her for the past week. "Sasuke-chan was really adorable," Rae continues, slight smile still on her face. Emiko grins at the honorific. "Itachi-kun was kind of cute."

Her smile doesn't change.

"Mikoto-sama was friendly, even though I didn't talk to her a lot of the time. It wasn't too bad." She repeats, finished with taking her sandals off. Then she pauses, hand ghosting over the sandal she had just finished taking off, and frowns. She grabs it again, but makes no move to put it back on.

"Hey..." Rae trails off uncomfortably when she feels the need to say 'hey, mom'. She pauses, wondering what to call her instead, and Emiko very visibly gets nervous. "..Can I go back out?"

She pretends not to notice Emiko's shoulder slumping with glum depression.

"Of course, darling. Would you like to take Jirouko with you this time?"

Rae begins stuffing her feet back into her sandals, quicker than she did earlier that morning, and hums as she thinks. Her brows furrow, and for a second she contemplates saying 'no', but when thinking just a second longer, a bright smile overcomes her features.

"Yeah! I have someone I want him to meet!"

Emiko looked nervous, as if she didn't know whether she should be more suspicious of who her baby would be meeting, or overjoyed that her daughter was making friends so early on.

"Ah, of course. Just take good care of your brother, sweetheart."

She nods her head enthusiastically, grabbing the baby from her biological parents' arms.

"I will! Jirouko will have fun, won't you, Jirou-chan?"

Emiko smiles, watching as her young daughter leaves the house just seconds after coming home with her baby brother in her arms. It warms her heart to see how much her daughter had gotten close with her baby brother, even if it brings back the stark reminder that her baby girl didn't know who she was anymore.

Rae did not see the tear slip from her mother's eyes as the door shut behind them.

* * *

Rae hums a sweet tune as she walks along the crooked dirt pathway, her baby brother bunched up in her arms and wrapped in his baby's blanket, which was, thankfully, not all blue. It was a soft to the touch fabric with blue, red, white, and light pink flowers printed across it in a winding pattern that ended in the center of the blanket, right over his stomach.

His arms, outside of the swaddled blanket as he had wrestled them free moments after leaving the house with his big sister, reached up towards Rae's face, and Rae smiles down at the baby in her arms. She lowered her head slightly, the longer tufts of hair that hung down her chin from her recent haircut just slightly out of his reach.

He laughed and chased the swaying white hair with his chubby hands, and Rae's grin widens.

She lifts her head a moment later, when she faintly recognizes the place she's at.

Walking up the stairs of the dingy apartment complex, Rae looks up at the sky as she walks. She kept her head slightly tilted, however, to make sure she didn't trip or bump into anybody as she watched the clouds roll by. They looked soft, and fluffy. She found herself thinking about whether they would be soft to the touch and wispy, like Jirouko's little tufts of dark blue hair, or rough and course like splinters of wood.

She makes a face.

Obviously, clouds wouldn't feel like wood...

...Would they?

She shakes her head, her white hair swishing in front of her face - she notices with a huge sigh of relief that her hair no longer clouded her vision with every gust of wind, like it used to when it was longer. She looks up at the beaten and battered wooden door in front of her. It certainly looked like it had had better days.

She shifted Jirouko in her arms, lifting one hand to knock on the wooden door.

Jirouko shifts in his swaddled up blanket with the movement of her hand, but stays otherwise silent as he chews on his soft blanket. Rae puckers her lips and wonders if she should make him stop that or let it continue. It looked to be nothing more than a baby thing for now, but what if it turned out to be a habit later on because she hadn't stopped it?

Faintly, Rae feels sad she didn't think to ask Emiko about taking Jirouko's pacifier with her.

Then the wooden door opens, and a grumpy and disgruntled Naruto looks out at her with a glare on his chubby features. She cracks a smile. Naruto blinks once, twice, three times, and then finally his tired eyes brighten and he's grinning up at her with the same blinding smiles that he had had all day yesterday.

"Nee-chan!" He runs forward, bare feet padding against the dirty pavement below them, and crashes into Rae with his arms on either side of her. She was a thin girl, but his arms were too small and filled with baby fat to reach each other behind her back.

"Naruto, be careful! I'm holding a baby," she scolds lightly, and while she may feel actual worry for her baby brother's well being, there was no actual threat to her tone. Quite the contrary, there was a slight laugh to her voice. She was grinning down at him with the same grin he was shining up at her.

Finally, he seems to realize that she is, in fact, holding a very tiny person in her arms.

He takes one large step back and peers up at the bundle of blue in her arms. His bright eyes go wide, and his mouth opens in an 'o' shape as he coos in awe. Rae has the bewildering thought that he's never seen an actual baby before.

"Who is it?" He whisper-shouts, and Rae stifles a snicker. Naruto's thin arms are raised up in the air as if he wants to grab the baby from her arms, but they hover inches away from the actual baby.

" _He,_ Naruto. His name is Jirouko, he's my otouto. Just like you, except even smaller."

Naruto's eyes go even wider than before, if possible, and he open his mouth wide to probably shout something about how cool it is to see such a tiny human being and if he could also do cool ninja things or if he could say stuff, but then he freezes. He blinks once.

"He's your otouto?"

Rae nods.

"Just like me?"

She nods again.

"Then does that mean..." Naruto's face scrunches up in thought, as if doing a hard math equation. Rae nods along patiently. Naruto's eyes go wide again, and he whips his head up to look up into her eyes in amazement. "He's _my_ otouto too?!"

She wants to tell him that no, there is a difference between a blood brother and simply having a brother-like relationship with someone, but then she pauses, and smiles.

She didn't care if Naruto was related to her by blood or not. He was a brother to her all the same, just like Jirouko was. She felt no need to tell him something that didn't really matter to her in the end. They were both family in her mind.

"Yes, he's your otouto, too, Naruto."

Naruto looked just about ready to pass out from awe and the sheer emotions swimming behind his bright baby blue eyes. It was, perhaps, the only blue that Rae would never get sick of in this world.

Then he scrunches up his face again and points up at her own face, and suddenly all the amazement and excitement of him having a baby brother is gone as he asks,

"What happened to your hair?"

Rae blinks once in confusion, lifting one hand up to lightly touch her short white hair. Oh, yeah.

"I cut it," she says simply. She nudges Naruto to the side with her foot as she walks past him into his apartment. "By the way, I'm going by the name of 'Kei' to other people now, alright? If someone calls me that, don't correct them." Rae informs him. She could have kept going by 'Rae', but she felt that going by the name of Kei to everybody else would help her image of being a young boy.

Naruto agrees easily and swiftly, as if it were no strange thing for someone to suddenly change their name in the next day. He shuts his apartment door behind him with a kick of his bare foot, and he runs back up to her and Jirouko, all the excitement from before back in his movements.

"So, so," he begins, his words jumbled in his energetic state, and he sits on his knees on top of his bed. Rae walks over and sits with him. He leans forward on his hands and knees to peer down at the smaller boy. "How old is he? How come you don't have the same hair color? Do you live together? Wait, no, that's dumb, of course you live together. Is he gonna become a ninja? Are you-"

" _Naruto,_ please," Rae interrupts him, exasperated. Did he never run out of questions? Did he ever run out of _breath_?

Naruto stops, looking faintly guilty, but still leaning forward to look at the baby without touching him. Rae sighs quietly, stands up, and places Jirouko on the bed where she once sat. There wasn't enough space in the tiny bed for all three of them at one time, so she let the baby take her place. Jirouko opens his eyes when he realizes he was no longer swaddled in the same warmth as before, and Rae scratches at the blanket over his stomach before he can start crying.

Naruto 'ohh's as he watches Rae calm the baby who was, for sure, just about to break out screaming. She unswaddles his blanket and sits him up on the bed, sitting herself down on the ground right in front of it so she can watch the two of them.

Naruto scoots forward on his knees, leaning down even further to be eye level with the baby. Jirouko lets out a bubbly laugh, clapping his hands together as he stares back at the older boy.

Naruto looks just about ready to burst into tears at the sight of the laughing baby. Rae reaches her arm forward and pats the top of Naruto's spiky blond head, laughing silently.

"He won't hurt you, you know. You can hold him, if you want." Naruto looks at her with shock in his eyes, as if he couldn't comprehend the idea of actually _touching_ a tiny human being. Or perhaps he was so shocked that someone trusted him enough to touch said tiny human being. Either way, the look on his face was adorable.

"Here, sit criss-cross real quick," Rae says gently as she lifts Jirouko into her arms again. He giggles and reaches out to tug on her hair, and she lets him, only letting a slight wince show the pain she was feeling from how hard he had gotten into the habit of tugging.

Naruto immediately switches position so that he is sitting cross legged on his bed, and Rae plucks the smiling baby's hands away from her hair as she sets him down in the center of Naruto's lap. Naruto is small enough that the baby's legs hang off the side of his lap, and Naruto makes a face.

"He's heavy."

Rae laughs.

"I bet you were heavier when you were a baby, Naruto!" Naruto looks extremely confused for a second, and Rae pauses.

"...You do know you were also a baby at some point, right?"

Naruto sniffs haughtily at her question, turning his head away to stare down at the bubbling baby in his arms. His face softens form the scowl he had been sporting just a moment before, and he lifts one chubby arm to pat down the smooth, soft hair on the baby's head. Naruto smiles, but it isn't the same blindingly bright grin he used to throw her way. It was a small, soft smile.

It was the smile he wore when he realized he really, truly, was not alone in the world anymore.

* * *

((A/N: Hoo, boy, I almost didn't know how to end it there for a second. I hope you enjoyed how silly and fun this chapter was, as the next chapter will be filled with lots of boring clan things and mostly just laying out what her life will be like from now on. I literally already have the entire next chapter written up, all 4.5k words of it. I'm just gonna wait for a few reviews from this chapter in case I need to respond to any questions in the next A/N, and then I'll post it up next week or so.

So, to answer the question I've been getting for a little while, I wanted to talk to you guys about how exactly this story is going to deviate from the Canon plot line.

Now, obviously, I'm not gonna go around shouting from the roof tops what's gonna go down later on in this story, but I wanted to let you know that, for a while, things will probably end up going some-what similar as to how they happened in the story. Some things just _have_ to happen like that. Like Team 7's first C-rank mission.

Rae will have a huge impact on both Naruto's and Sasuke's lives, and those impacts and the things she changes will start showing up as tiny, little things that you may not notice at first. But as the story goes on, they will get more and more obvious until, eventually, the story will be going in a completely different direction than the show went.

Question!: What song or songs do you think fit my characters? You can pick a song for just one or for multiple of them, I'm just curious on what kind of music you connect to my characters.

See you next time!))


	16. Breaking The Ice

((A/N: Hello! Thanks for all the awesome reviews from the last chapter! I'm glad you all love my fluffy moments in the story haha. I enjoy writing fluff and lovey dovey stuff so much. You know what else I enjoy writing? Angst. Lots and lots of angst. I love the audible _crack_ when people's hearts break. :)

There were no reviews in the last chapter, so there are no review responses here. Boo. However, I did get asked in a PM if I had a tumblr or such, and so I'm going to state it here again and maybe in future A/Ns if some of you aren't remembering: Yes! I have a tumblr blog dedicated to this story and Naruto as a whole.

Go visit **thehigherweclimb . tumblr . com** where I make art and post about updates and stuff!

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

A sigh.

Emiko turns her head slightly to glance at her daughter from the corner of her ice blue eyes. Rae self consciously straightens her back even further than it was moments before under the woman's watchful gaze. She didn't know why she felt the need to act so well behaved right now when she had never acted so fancy shmancy before hand, but she did.

It's been two and a half weeks since she met Itachi and Sasuke, and those two odd Uchiha she had run into around their clan's compound. She had met them again three times - Sasuke and Itachi, that is. She has yet to run into either of the two other Uchihas. Not that she minded, they didn't seem to like or enjoy her presence very much.

Then again, she did knock one into the ground and copped a feel while she was down.

Rae doesn't think she can wash her hands enough. She still feels dirty whenever she goes to rest her chin on the hand that touched the girl.

But that's besides the point. She had met Itachi and Sasuke three times again ever since meeting them for the first time. All three times, they were extremely wary of getting too close to her. The first time they met after their initial meeting went as bad as it could have possibly gone, considering Itachi refused to let Sasuke anywhere within ten meters of Rae, not that Sasuke would have gotten any closer to her on his own free will. After that, Rae tripped over a rug in the kitchen and went home with a bloody nose, which Sasuke laughed at and Itachi did a little cough thing that Rae was entirely certain was his way of hiding a snicker.

Mikoto punched both of them over the head, though, so jokes on them.

The second time they met went just slightly better, as Itachi was willing to sit a few feet away from Rae - although, to be fair, they were sitting down at the table for lunch, so it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Sasuke sat on the opposite end, though, glaring at her all the while.

She really hopes he gets better at his Set-People-On-Fire-With-His-Eyes No Jutsu. It's a little lacking at the moment.

She had also explained some half assed excuse that she had made up on the spot to Itachi about why he had to pretend she was a boy - he was too smart to _really_ believe she was a boy - only for Itachi, the clever little jerk, to see right through her lies and demand the real reason out of her. Actually, he had promised to keep it a secret either way, but said that she could always tell him the truth if she felt like it. That guilt tripped her right into telling him everything. She spent nearly three hours sitting out in their backyard with Itachi explaining everything that's happened to her, all while Sasuke was running around a few feet away trying to impress his brother with skills he didn't really have.

To her surprise, Itachi promised to keep all of it a secret.

Dumb Uchihas and their trustworthyness. She hated it at the same time as she was so glad to talk to someone about it all. After that time spent with the older Uchiha heir, he had been much more friendly with her. The third time she had gone over to their home, Itachi let Sasuke watch while he practiced his throwing, and half way through he let Rae come up and try with him. She was no good, as expected, but Itachi told her she was actually better than most kids without training. He thinks she might have a natural talent for it, if she trained further with it. That was probably the highlight of her week, honestly.

And as such, Itachi Uchiha has gained the eloquent title of 'trustworthy' to Rae. Perhaps not quite close enough to considering him a _friend_ of hers, but she definitely felt a spark of something that could turn into a good friendship some time in the future. Assuming he kept her secrets, of course. Rae didn't know all the things he would tell his kaa-san while she was away, but she felt like maybe he was telling the truth.

In those two and a half weeks, she has also visited Naruto three times. Twice in his own apartment, with Jirouko both times, and once when the both of them went to the market for shopping, to get some regular food in Naruto's small home. Rae couldn't believe how much Ramen he ate on a daily basis. That just can't be healthy for a young boy. Now, his cupboards and fridge is filled with vegetables, meats, occasional candy or pastry, and lots of other good and healthy food for him.

He complained, of course, but Rae made some offhand comment about ninjas needing their strength, and he shut up real fast.

Still makes faces whenever she makes him a bento with vegetables in it, though. Considering Rae mostly stays at the Shimizu Clan grounds, she doesn't visit Naruto very often. So, she often makes a few bentos and stores them in the fridge before she has to leave, that way he has something to eat for lunch or dinner when she's gone.

She almost feels more like a mother to him than a big sister.

Rae shuts her eyes and feels herself nodding off, but a quiet clearing of their throat from the older woman sitting beside Rae makes her snap her eyes open.

Rae had had fun in the past few weeks that she's been in Konoha, but now apparently the time for fun was over. Sitting in a meeting that she was expected to stay quiet in was rather boring, even if it was talking about her. The Elders of her clan decided that she had been spending more than enough time goofing off and wandering around Konoha on her own. The meeting she was currently sitting pretty in - seriously, she was dressed up in a fancy shmancy kimono that made her look far too girly for her tastes - was about how she would be treated from now on.

The first thing she had heard was that she would always have one of the higher ranking shinobi of the Shimizu clan following her around, acting as both a bodyguard and a personal servant.

Rae hadn't been told much about her mysterious disappearance, but apparently a little over nine months ago she had been kidnapped by masked strangers and taken out of the village. Everyone around her refused to speak any more on the matter, either because they had no more information to give her, or because they just couldn't talk to her about it.

But now that Rae was back, they didn't want to risk any chances of the Heiress to their clan disappearing again. At one point one of the more cynical elders had proclaimed that they should hire an ANBU squad to look after her, night and day, and while Rae was very interested in learning more about this mysterious Black Operations squad known as ANBU, she hated the idea of being watched every second of every day by them even more.

That one was tossed right out the window.

Rae had wanted to interject that she didn't need a bodyguard at all and that she could take care of herself, but then she remembered that, oh yeah, obviously she _can't_ take care of herself. She was already kidnapped once.

Which, incidentally, brought up the next topic of their discussion.

Her training.

One of the people present - Rae didn't bother even looking at them, much less finding out what their names were - immediately presented the idea of her restarting her training in the Konoha Academy. _Restarting._ According to them, she had already been in the Academy since she was six, the classic starting age of all children interested in becoming Shinobi in this day and age. Rae had felt a small, momentary panic at the idea that she had just lost three years of useful training, but remembering how her teachers back in Suna had always said her skills were a little more advanced than the rest of the first year students made her feel better. It made her feel as though perhaps she hadn't completely forgotten those skills. Maybe they're just buried deep in the back of her mind, and they appear somewhat as muscle memory when she was training.

However, a group of clan people at the other end of the table immediately interjected and said that it was impossible to do so. They said that having her enter the Academy at age nine with other six year olds would be embarrassing for the clan - _the clan, not her, they didn't care about her_ \- and would implicate that the Shimizu clan was weak, or something or another. She honestly dozed off half way through their argument.

She did, however, wake up at just the right time to listen to the fact that she would be getting a personal trainer from here on out. Not only would they train her in the usual things that were taught back in the Academy, but considering her trainer would be a high ranking Shimizu shinobi, they would also be training her in her Clan abilities. This apparently included some kind of a Kekkai Genkai that she was never told about, which kind of made her bitter because wow, how cool would it be to have a some kind of a special blood line ability that nobody else could do or copy?

Cool as all hell, that's how cool.

But no, she still hasn't been told what that Kekkai Genkai was.

The last thing she had been listening in on before she had begun dozing off once more - of which the woman beside her kept waking her up from politely, which she would be forever grateful to her for - was her 'relationship with the Leaf's demon'.

She immediately began listening in on that one.

She had learned the same day as when she had first met Naruto, that he was called the Demon of The Leaf, and it had made her heart ache so much that she broke down and cried herself to sleep that first night and woke up with red rimmed eyes the next morning. Gaara, her precious little red headed friend Gaara, was he all alone in Suna now?

Of course he was, she was his only friend and she left him. She left him all alone in the hot desert where everyone and everything hated his existence and wanted him dead or disappeared. She left him alone surrounded by people who were afraid to exist not only in the same village as him, but in the same world. In the same universe even, perhaps. She left him behind when he had just learned to trust her. She _left_ him.

And then, _no. No she didn't leave him. She was torn from him. By these greedy monsters who wanted everything from her._ They cared little if not at all for what anybody else wanted.

And just like that, with that one simple title to the little blond ball of sunshine she had grown to love and adore, her hatred of Konoha burned as hot as it had the day she arrived.

She felt bitter and angry at herself for letting herself get to soft and happy here. It would never be the same as Suna, she had always known that for sure, but she had been getting comfortable enough to call the clan grounds her Home. She was making friends with the Uchihas and getting to know the people she lived in the same house with, learning about them as they learned about her. She was going soft and making ties here. She had been placing down roots without knowing it.

As it was right now, those roots would be easy to pull out like weeds. If she had let them cultivate any longer, however, they would grow into such large trees that she had no hope of cutting down with even the strongest of blades.

She couldn't let herself put down any more roots. No more friends, no more going around and claiming every cute little boy was her newest otouto, no more laughing with the people she shared blood with.

No more ties.

"And do you agree with this, Emiko-sama?"

Rae looked up at the elder who had spoken, some older lady with white and slightly graying hair and stern, ice cold blue eyes. She looked slightly important, in Rae's opinion. Then again, that was the physical description of every female she had met thus far in the Shimizu clan, so it meant little to her in a way of remembering the older woman by physical appearance. She didn't really care enough about her to go up and ask her for her name, though.

Her biological parent in question looked up at the elder, looking for all the world as if she belonged there in that room, surrounded by important people who were deciding the future of Emiko's own young daughter.

Emiko doesn't even glance down at the daughter by her side as she nods her affirmative.

"Yes, I agree that we should cut all ties to Konohagakure's Jinchuuriki."

* * *

"Absolutely _not!_ "

Rae wants to scream at her. Emiko stood in the door way to the living room of their home, her shoes had been discarded by the front door but she was still in her fancy blue and white kimono with a design that looked something like thousands of tiny rippling water effects. The older woman's arms are outstretched on either side, placed on her hips sternly. The look is destroyed by the fact that the kimono sleeves were so long that they bunched up in a funny way around her arms.

Rae still wanted to scream.

"He's my _friend!_ You can't tell me _not to see him anymore!_ You don't have that power over me!" She shouts at her instead. Screaming would do no help in this situation, even if shouting wasn't much better, honestly. Emiko wasn't listening to anything she was saying, no matter the level of her tone of voice.

"I can, and I do! That boy is a danger and carries an evil inside of him, and I will not allow you anywhere near it!" _It, not him._

"But you _can't!_ I'm all he has!"

"Well then I'm _sorry_ ," _no she isn't, no you aren't_ "But he will have to be alone for a while! He was alone before, he can be alone again!"

" _AND YOU DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT?!_ " Rae finally shouts at the top of her lungs. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she couldn't tell if it was because she was sad at the idea of losing another friend, or angry at how this stranger was trying to control her entire life.

 _Not again, not again, not again_

She left Gaara alone, she would not do it again. Not to Naruto. Not to the little ball of sunshine. He would burn out like a fire extinguished if she left him all alone. She could not. She _would_ not.

Emiko's face twists into an angry scowl, and Rae feels the slightest bit as if perhaps she shouldn't yell. That feeling is smothered down in a heart beat when Emiko begins shouting back at her in the same tone Rae had just yelled at her for.

"HE IS A CURSE! A _DEMON_! YOU WILL _NOT_ GO NEAR HIM AGAIN! _THAT IS FINAL!_ "

"NO IT ISN'T! _THIS IS DISGUSTING!_ HOW COULD YOU HATE HIM FOR SOMETHING HE _CAN'T CONTROL_?!"

"THE _SAME WAY_ I CAN LOVE YOU DESPITE ALL YOUR FLAWS! I _**CAN NOT** LOSE ANOTHER DAUGHTER!_ "

And Rae almost wants to ask _what?_ What daughter? What does she mean by that? But she doesn't say any of this.

Instead, Rae feels a stabbing pain in her chest at the woman's first half of the words. She didn't love Emiko like a mother, but Emiko had always claimed to love her as a daughter. What flaws? What was she talking about? Why did Rae care what this stranger thought?

Rae is too angry in her shouting to notice the ice spreading beneath her mother's feet, and by the time she opens her mouth to shout again, her breath is visible in the cold, cold room.

"WELL MAYBE YOU _SHOULDN'T_ LOVE ME! KAMI KNOWS I _DON'T LOVE YOU!_ "

And then the ice beneath Emiko cracks, and suddenly Rae's teeth are clattering with how freezing it is in here. Puffs of white breath come out of her mouth when she shouts, and out of her nose when she breaths. The entire room is covered in a thin sheet of blue, as if everything was suddenly covered in cold ice that would break if you breathed on it. Blue. Blue, blue _blue blueblueblu **eblue** -_

It was _**suffocating** _

And Rae finally, finally screams. There are no words in her scream, just clenched fists and emotions pouring through in a loud shout that her mother flinches away from, and there is ice under her own feet as well and she doesn't remember how it got there, and suddenly she's thinking, _why am I even here I could leave right now I could take Naruto and go back_ home _and be with Gaara again and I could see Leo and Happy again and we could be a_ family _together and I could **burn this village to the ground**_

And then there's a stinging pain on her cheek, and her father is suddenly in front of her.

Everything shatters.

Ice cracks off of the ceiling and falls down to the ground, cracking and shattering as it goes until it's nothing more than a soft snow that looked deceptively inviting. The only sound in the room is the shattering of ice and of hopes and of _emotions_ as everyone in the room is wide eyed.

Everyone but the man who just slapped Rae across the face. Her father. Her biological parent. He was stern faced, and Rae doesn't even move, doesn't even bother to look up and notice that his eyes are no longer the deep, deep ocean blue that she had seen in her own eyes. She doesn't notice the way there are splotches of red in his eyes now, just like her own are on a daily basis.

"Kazuhiko." Rae doesn't really hear Emiko say, with no anger in her voice at all. There was only confusion, as if she didn't care that her daughter was just slapped by her husband, she only wanted to know _why, why did you interfere in our argument,_ perhaps she would have even slapped Rae herself if she had been close enough.

Rae turns around, running down the hallway and throwing open the front door, running out of the house and out of the clan compound, and away, _away from them, away from these strangers, away from all this blue, away from this village_

But no, as much as she would and does want to, she doesn't leave the village. She couldn't run out the front gates, not with the way her clan was sure to send people after her.

So she runs to the nearest place she knows she can hide from them.

Naruto takes one look at her red cheek and the tears in her eyes that have yet to be cried and he lets her in, because _he knows_ , he knows all too well what that feels like.

She falls with her back to the door and her hands in her face, and she finally, _finally_ , lets the tears run down her cheeks and drop down her chin. Naruto comes and sits in her lap, reaching all the way around her to clasp his arms behind her back, and although she can hear him running his mouth a mile a minute asking _what's wrong, who did this to you, who do I have to beat up for you, are you okay_ , she doesn't answer. After a minute of his questions not being answered, he stands up, looks at her for another second, and then turns around and leaves the room. Rae almost feels abandoned, before he comes back not a second later with a bento box in his hands and a pair of chopsticks in the other. He leans down and sits on top of her again, and she doesn't even mind it because she's gotten so used to his weight that's it's more of a comfort than a pain, and he opens the bento box with a look of determination on his chubby face.

He picks up something small and covered in a brown sauce, a piece of chicken that she had cooked for his lunch tomorrow, and tries to force feed it to her.

When she doesn't open her mouth, his brows furrow down on his face and his lips pucker up in annoyance at her unwillingness to eat his food.

"Eat it, Nee-chan, it'll make you feel better. I know it, 'cos whenever I got upset you would hold me and make me food and it always made me feel better, always! So now you're upset and I'm gonna hold you and I can't really make you anything 'cos I dunno how to cook anything, but you made this and it was my favorite 'cos the chicken pieces are really good, and this whole box is my favorite really, so hurry up and eat it so you'll feel better too and we can go kick the ass of the people who hurt you-"

She snorts.

Naruto's brows shoot up in surprise at the sound, and the second he realizes that she's laughing at him, they lower again in fury - _his face gives away all of his emotions so easily_ \- and he pushes the chicken closer to her until he's trying to pry her mouth open with the chopsticks, and she can feel the sauce all over her lips and cheeks when he smudges it on accident and she just _laughs._

"Eat it, Nee-chan! Stop laughing and eat it! I don't care if you don't think it'll make you feel better, because it will, because it always does for me! Eat it already!"

She leans out of the way and instead pushes herself forward, wrapping her arms securely around the boy in her lap trying to force feed her her own home cooked chicken, and she laughs and she cries because _he's right here, I didn't leave him like I left Gaara, he's still here and he doesn't hate me,_

And even though she can feel Naruto's absolute confusion, he hugs her back, his chubby arms only long enough to hug her around her neck as he holds his bento box in one hand and the chicken held firmly in the chopsticks in his other hand.

"I love you, otouto," she says between her laughing and her crying, and Naruto stiffens for a moment. She remembers that he has never had any family or friends beside her and Jirouko, and she wonders if he's ever heard those words directed at him before. Probably not.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she mumbles over and over because she does. She loves him so much, and when he started laughing and crying with her, she knows he feels the same way. She reaches up and holds the back of his head and tries to pull him closer, and though he's mostly just crying now, she still laughs, if only just slightly.

She wants to think of Emiko's earlier words, hinting at what might have been another sibling to Rae. She had thought it was just her, and Jirouko was only born _after_ she had been missing for months, almost as if he was going to be used as a back up of sorts in case Rae herself never popped up in Konoha again. Emiko had said that she couldn't _lose_ another daughter.

She doesn't know what to feel about this, so she doesn't think about it anymore.

And maybe one or two of the many tears slipping down her cheeks could have been for her lost sibling that she never knew.

* * *

((A/N: Haha, nice _._ Let me know how you guys felt about this chapter, I'd like your opinion. I have much sadder and / or more depressing ones planned out for the future so I gotta know if this reached my daily quota of breaking peoples' hearts or if it was just mildly upsetting.

I don't have much to say here, so I'll just get on with the question and get outta y'er hairs!

Question!: Uh.. I'm running out of THWC related questions, so how about instead you all tell me, if you could become and replace any one character from Naruto, who would it be? It can be one from the show or one of my OCs, I don't mind either way. Also if you have any questions for me to put down here, let me know and I might use some of them since I'm running outta things to say here lol.

As I mentioned above! Go visit **thehigherweclimb . tumblr . com**

See all you guys in the next chapter! Reviews are love!))


	17. Slight Research

((A/N: Woot! Another quick update, 'cos the ideas are flowing this time around. You guys are too sweet, I swear. Your reviews made me grin like the fool that I am, and I love you all! We've officially reached 50 Reviews, and we only need two more follows to have 150 followers, and only three more favorites to have 100 favorites. I think I might do something special for when we do reach that milestone, which will probably be a little while after I post this chapter, as I always seem to get a follower or two more every time I update. I don't know exactly what to do though, but I know I want to do something special to show how much I adore you all! So let me know in the reviews what I should do for you all.

Kejmur- I'm writing most of this story in Rae's point of view, so it definitely seems super disgusting for the Shimizu Clan to act this way, and it certainly is disgusting in certain aspects, but I'm glad you're feeling the same things she's going through! It means I'm writing her well enough :)

May525- Yes, poor lil albino baby needs to run away from home.. to go back home. As for when you'll be regretting your words, well, I did say 'later chapters' didn't I? It won't be happening for a while, but you'll probably know pretty much instantly when it pops up. 8) I'm glad you like the quick updates! I'm very bad at saving chapters to post at later dates, so I usually just post the chapter as soon as I'm done writing it(which is why I can go over it later on and see _so god damn many_ grammar or spelling mistakes, oops). As for how you feel about Emiko, I'm glad! Not many people are feeling bad for her, probably because of all the harsh emotions running high at the moment. I'll try to write more of Rae's biological mother in the future so people can get a peek into her mind, but for now, I'm glad you feel that way!

mandyluzader- First of all, thank you! I'm so glad you love my story, I love writing it for you! Second, I can see where you're comin' from buddy. I intend to write many much scenes for potential ships in the future, when they're all a bit older. I might write some more Gaara/Rae things and post it over on my Naruto Tidbits story if I feel up to it though. Thanks for the love! I love you back, wonderful person o' mine!

QuestGuest- Thank you! I love writing Naruto and Jirouko together, too. I'll write more of them in the future for you lovely! Also, I've never really heard of the borderline song but White Noise by Danrell is absolutely a good theme song for Rae. I love it.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Rae slept over at Naruto's apartment that night. She cooked him dinner that night, even though there were plenty of bento for them to eat without her having to make anything new for them. She found that the act of cooking calmed her down and gave her something to think about other than her home troubles with her biological family. It gave her something to do so she wouldn't have to think about the things Emiko had said the night Rae had run away from them.

She did, however, feel very guilty for leaving behind Jirouko to have to deal with the fallout of her actions.

Naruto, however, was only bright grins and wide, happy eyes when he found that his nee-chan was still there the next morning and she hadn't actually left him in the middle of the night like he had half expected.

He was a pain in the neck to wake up for breakfast at first that morning, but he was more than willing to get up and take a shower once she promised to cook him homemade Ramen for lunch if he got up quick. He made a fuss about the multiple bottles of various soaps in his bathroom, and Rae had to pause in cooking the egg omelet just to explain to him the differences between body soap, shampoo, and conditioner. She had almost been horrified when he asked if he could just use shampoo for all of it, and threatened to sit there and wash him like the child he was if he didn't do it correctly.

He wizened up pretty quick after that.

Okay, so, yeah, Rae may be acting like a boy, and for the most part she didn't mind the dirt and mud and everything that came with acting like the opposite gender she really was, but she couldn't help it if she occasionally felt the need to actually act like a girl. Nice smelling shampoos and conditioners that made her hair soft to the touch were things she was perfectly fine with being mocked for being 'girly things' by other kids, and damn if she wasn't going to make sure Naruto knew the differences too.

Besides, she rather liked the smell of his orange-lemon soap. It really did fit with his yellow and orange theme and his air of liveliness.

"Breakfast, Naruto!" She called to her so called little brother. There was rustling in the room down the hall as Naruto turned off the water of his shower and began drying himself off.

She set the omelets and ham out on two plates and poured two glasses of milk for the both of them. Naruto had drunk the rest of the juice she had bought him, so there was none of that to go along with their breakfast. Little pitter patters of wet footsteps against the wooden floorboards sounded out through the small apartment, and Rae already had a scowl on her features when Naruto came into view. There was a grin on his face that melted away into confusion when he slid into view, and he looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong, Nee-chan?" He asked, his wide blue eyes curious. It almost made her not want to scorn him for his mistakes, but she knew if she didn't he'd just do it again and again. Someone had to be the bad guy for a few minutes.

"You're tracking water all through the house, Naruto. The floor is wooden, which means it'll get all soggy and rot if it gets wet for a long time. Clean it up and dry yourself off better, and then you can have breakfast."

Naruto looked on in confusion for just a second longer before there was suddenly a scowl on his smaller features as well. He slumped down and stalked off sullenly, all the while muttering about mean old Nee-chan and her dumb, smart logic.

A few minutes of mopping up the wet floors with his damp towel, he comes back to the small room that counted as both his bedroom and his living room, and he sits himself down at the small coffee table fit for four where a plate is laid out for him. He greedily begins eating up the homemade food, still warm, and mumbles out a half hearted 'thanks Nee-chan' for the food. Rae nods and lets out a hum of acknowledgement with a mumbled out order for him to drink his milk to get stronger. He gave her a weird look, as if he didn't believe doing something as small as drinking milk would make him stronger, but he reached for his glass either way.

They eat in mostly silence, only occasionally broken by Naruto's noisy slurping of his glass of cold milk. Rae wants to say something, _needs_ to say something in order for her dark thoughts to not be able to reach her, but while she opens up her mouth to say something, she says nothing. It clamps back down closed a second later, and she resumes eating her food silently.

 _Another._

She couldn't lose another daughter.

Something in Rae's chest clenches at the realization that she's lost someone that she might have actually cared about in the past, and she is, once again, caught thinking of who she truly is as a person.

She knows she's Rae, Gaara's friend, Naruto and Jirouko's older sister, the girl torn from her home and struggling to stay sane in this new environment.

But at the same time, she can't help but wondering yet again _what if._ What if she might have been Keiko at some point? What if Keiko and her memories were just swimming around in Rae's head, somewhere just underneath the surface? Would they return to her if she was around familiar things - things Keiko was familiar with - just like Emiko suggested to her? If it did, would she, Rae, be lost and gone for good, and would Keiko awaken again and take over once more? Or would Keiko and Rae both exist at once? Would Rae just... _exist_ with someone else's memories in her head?

Who would she be if that ever happened?

And then she's scowling, because she knew who Emiko and Kazuhiko would want her to be in that instance. They wouldn't hesitate, wouldn't spare Rae a second thought, and would plead for Keiko to come back and wash away all that was Rae down the river like crusty mud that was nothing more than a nuisance.

And then she wonders what would happen to her then, if Keiko really were to take over if her memories resurfaced. Would she sit around under the surface, watching everything happen through somebody else's eyes, or would everything just... stop, as if she had died?

She wonders if Keiko was watching everything through Rae's eyes.

Then suddenly she is yanked from her thoughts as loud knocking resounds on Naruto's front door, just a few feet away from where they sat eating together. Rae looks up from where she had been staring at the floor, and Naruto freezes in his quest to steal a piece of egg off of Rae's plate without her noticing, turning to look at his front door.

He blinks at it once in confusion before he drops his chopsticks and stands up, running over to the front door in order to open it up and ask who it was.

"Don't, Naruto," Rae speaks up, loud enough for him to hear before he reaches his front door, but quiet enough that whoever was on the other side probably couldn't hear her. Probably. She wasn't entirely certain how good Shinobi hearing was, so she wasn't making any promises.

Naruto looks confused and lost for a moment, but does as he's told and lowers his hand, turning on his heel to stare at her in curiosity. Rae knows he's waiting for an answer to his unasked question, _why?_ , but she simply shakes her head and offers a small smile.

"How would you like to go to the library with me?"

He grins wide and then runs off down the long hallway to go get himself dressed, as he was currently still dressed in his boxers and pajamas shirt. Rae waits for a few seconds until she can hear him rustling around the hallway's closet for clothing to change into, and then she gets up and walks over to the door slowly.

She has a sneaking suspicion who might be on the other side, and she doesn't know whether to open the door and talk to them or to simply climb out the back window with Naruto and sneak away to the library to look for something.

She doesn't hesitate for long, and decides to open the door. If anything, simply to satisfy her curiosity on who it was.

She was both wrong and right as to who was on the other side of the door. She had been expecting someone from her clan, but, truth be told, she was almost expecting it to be Emiko or Kazuhiko.

But of course not, why would the clan head and his wife to the Shimizu Clan come all the way out here to some dingy apartment complex just to see her?

The young man on the other side of the door, who honestly couldn't be any older than sixteen or seventeen years at the most, had the classical dark, dark blue hair that almost looked black if it weren't for the light shining from the sun behind him that all the males of her clan had. His eyes were the same deep blue as well, and Rae noticed with a hint of jealousy that the shade of blue in his eyes was lighter and prettier than hers. He wore a simple light grey yukata with light blue accents. She had to admit the boy was very pretty, in an almost feminine way. He gave Rae a serene smile and clasped his hands in front of his shirt.

She slammed the door in his face.

"We're going out the back window, Naruto!" She called with a hand cupped around her mouth. Naruto called back an affirmative, yet again unconcerned with Rae's odd methods.

* * *

Konoha's library was not something Rae thought much of in her spare time, and as such, she never really thought of what it would look like.

Of course, when thinking of Suna's library, Rae hadn't expected anything that she had seen thus far. In the desert, the library had to be small and chocked full of scrolls and books to conserve space for things considered more important, like homes for the hot desert's other civilians and the academy grounds for shinobi in training. Any important information that was deemed too important to keep in a public library was kept somewhere closed and secure, perhaps even in the Kazekage's own office for maximum protection.

The library in Konoha... was not like that at all.

First off, the building as a whole was humongous. There were easily four floors in the building, and each floor was wide enough to hold perhaps a fourth of a large arena. Instead of the library being filled with unimportant documents and children's books for entertainment, the most important information was held on the higher floors, while documents that were considered not too important to keep secret from the public was kept on the lower floors. The first floor was for civilians and shinobi alike, filled with regular books and scrolls of the world's history, children's books, or just plain romance or mystery books for just regular old entertainment.

The second floor of the library was restricted for newly graduated Shinobi and above. Genin, Chuunin, and Jonin, as well as the Hokage of course, were the only ones allowed in that floor. It was filled with history books as well as books filled with training information and regiments. There were simple chakra control exercises too, as she had seen a young Shinobi carrying a handful of those out in one arm. The floor above that was reserved for Chuunin and Jonin, and the last floor was Jonin level information or higher.

Rae hadn't been allowed into either of the top three floors, of course, as she wasn't even a simple Genin yet.

However, the bottom floor was apparently enough for what she had wanted to come here for in the first place. Naruto had little patience to read the history textbooks or get into any of the beginning training scrolls laid out for students of the academy, but he had immediately zoomed in on the picture book section of the large library ground, and Rae found it too adorable to tell him that that wasn't what she was here for. Why break his spirit when he could just carry the books over with her?

So, Naruto went off to find himself a handful of interesting books to read for himself, and Rae leaves in another direction to go find the information she was seeking. She let her index finger trail along the titles of each book and scroll as she passed them by, waiting until she found the one she had been looking for.

Hyuuga, Uchiha, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame, Sarutobi (Rae was surprised they had that here, what with the current Hokage being one of them), Senju, and many other clans that didn't exactly pop out to her eyes passed by until finally, almost at the very end of the line of Clan names, was the Shimizu Clan History book.

She pulled it out of its' spot gingerly, and noticed nearly instantly how thin the book was. Was her clan really that much smaller than all the others, or was there simply not a lot of information on it as of yet? Either way, she found what she had been looking for, and turned to find herself a quiet, secluded space to read it. As she passed by the other Clan History books, however, she paused, turning to glance at the many names.

She grabbed the Uchiha History book, and as a last minute thought, grabbed the Senju History book as well. It was the only clan she hadn't yet heard of, and she was always interested in something she didn't know about.

Then, turning on her heel, she left the Clan section of the library and searched for a quiet spot to read it all. Reaching around, she pulled the small one-shoulder back pack she had brought with her to rest on her side rather than her back as it had been before, and found herself a secluded spot by a window in the back where she sat to read.

Not a moment later, Naruto honed in on her secluded spot and dropped his handful of books onto the table she had been sitting at, a wide grin on his face as he plopped into his seat and pulled open the first book.

"Wat'cha reading, Nee-chan?" He asked curiously, even as he pretended to be busy nose-deep into his own book.

"Clan Histories," she answered simply, pulling out her notebook from her back pack and a red pen she had brought with her - red really was a nice color, wasn't it?

This time, Naruto did look up from his book, forgoing his ill-thought up illusion of pretending to be busy reading something in order to look down at the book in his sister figure's book in open curiosity.

"What clan? Why're you readin' about clans?"

She didn't bother looking up at him, but she did open her notebook and uncapped her red pen as she thought.

"The Shimizu Clan mostly. I wanted to look up something from my Clan's history and thought the library was the best place to look for it at. I also have the Uchiha and Senju Clan histories here with me too. I've been spending time with the Uchihas, so that's why I have their book, and I was curious on who the Senjus were, which is why I have their book, too."

Naruto looked about ready to explode.

"You- You're in a _clan_?! Why didn't you _tell me!_ That's so cool, Nee-chan! What clan was it again? What does your clan do? I thought you looked weird, but I guess all of your clan people look weird, huh? Is it anything like the Hyuuga clan, though, 'cos I heard those guys were just jerks, and what _do you mean_ you've never heard of the Senjus, huh, don't you know who the first and second Hokages were-"

Rae slapped a hand over Naruto's mouth, who had been getting steadily louder and louder as his rant about the Konoha clans continued.

"Okay, Naruto, _I get it._ "

Naruto stared for a second before he nodded slowly. Rae retracted her hand slowly, as if he might start up any second now that she was no longer holding him still and silent. She sits back in her seat, sighing in exasperation.

"Yes, I'm in a clan. The Shimizu clan. I don't know what they do, I dunno what their Kekkai Genkai is, I _do not_ look weird," she glared at him, self consciously reaching up to tug at one of the longer tufts of white hair. "And, uh, yeah, I guess they kind of are jerks like the Hyuuga.." She shrugs. "They certainly aren't very nice. And, uh... what were your other questions? I can't remember them all."

Naruto looked at her for a second, processing everything she said until he got to the question she asked at the end. His blond brows furrowed as he explained.

"You said you didn't know the Senjus, but that's impossible because everyone knows the First and Second Hokages. 'Specially the First, 'cos he's the one who made the village!" Naruto's wide blue eyes suddenly took a gleam of awe and admiration in them, and Rae couldn't help but feel slightly wary. If she wasn't careful, he might go into a hero-worship induced hour long rant that she wanted no part in, honestly.

"You're right, sorry, that was dumb of me. I guess I just forgot their names."

"Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama! Duh. Silly Nee-chan," he chastised childishly, leaning over to flick a lock of hair away from her face. Rae let out a silent sigh of relief when he seemed to have left it at that, but mentally stored away the information she just received. She would look up their names in the Senju Clan History book after she found what she was here for.

When Naruto settled down, busy in one of his books that contained its' fair share of dramatic fighting and action scenes, Rae cracked open the Shimizu Clan History book to the first page. When that held nothing but details of the book itself, such as who wrote it, when it was written, and the fact that it was currently incomplete, Rae flicked a page over to read onto the next few pages.

As she thought, the second page of the book contained nothing more than how the Clan originally came to Konoha and when it first arrived - fairly recently, Rae noted, it had to have been some time during the Third Shinobi War. It looks as though her clan had only very recently moved into the village, and almost as if they were still setting up a place for themselves. Rae notes with a hint of dawning understanding why the Clan was so adamant that she not see Naruto anymore, perhaps because they were still considered wary outsiders and not an official part of Konoha.

It didn't mean she forgave them for it, though.

The book itself actually contained very little information of the Shimizu Clan's history as a whole. It had when they arrived at Konoha's gates asking for permission to become part of their village, sure, but not where they were before then. It didn't even have information about how small the clan was or if it was normal for a clan to be so small-numbered.

She flicked the pages over some more, until she found what she had been originally looking for.

A list of clan members ever since their joining of Konoha.

She flicked through the pages quickly, eyes scanning over each and every face and name as she passed them by. The majority of the names and faces here didn't mean anything to her, she was simply looking for one person in particular. She finds it on one of the last few pages, in her own family's bloodline page.

 _'Kazuhiko Shimizu, Father of Three._

 _Emiko Shimizu, Mother of Three._

 _Jirouko Shimizu, Youngest Son._

 _Keiko Shimizu, Youngest Daughter._

 _Kamiko Shimizu, Eldest Daughter.'_

Rae's eyes landed on the last and final name of the page. She focused on the name for a few moments longer before reading the information under her name, next to a colored picture of an older girl.

 _'Kamiko Shimizu, AKA 'The White Flame'. The eldest daughter to Kazuhiko and Emiko Shimizu. The rightful heiress to the Shimizu Clan by blood. Died on the Fifth of June while fighting in the Third Shinobi War. Relations: Two parents, one female one male. Two siblings, one female one male. One ex-husband, KIA during the Third Shinobi War.'_

Rae stopped reading. There wasn't much else on the girl, but a bit more information about her lineage and whatnot. She wasn't interested in reading about how this girl was supposed to become the next Head of the Clan and not Rae. It was passed down to her after Kamiko Shimizu died, fighting in a war to protect the Leaf Village.

She almost felt dirty for stealing her rightful spot.

She looks back up at the colored image of the girl. She had the classic long, straight white hair of any female of the Shimizu Clan, but instead of hers being symmetrical and straight cut like everyone else's were, her hair was tied off to the side in a long braid swept over her right shoulder. Her bangs had been swept back into the braid, and only a few wisps of hair fell in front of her face. She was pretty, Rae noted, and had a friendly smile on her face.

She looked tired.

There were unmistakable lines etched into her features, at the corner of her eyes and mouth. There was a dark tint just underneath her eyes that suggested she might have had sleeping problems, or got little to no sleep in the first place. Her eyes were the same ice blue as any other woman in the clan, but they seemed glazed over with a far away look to them.

There was a bit of information about her on the next line over, probably from a Bingo Book due to their being a price on her head and a warning about her jutsus.

 _'Kamiko Shimizu, AKA 'The White Flame'.'_

Why the White Flame? As far as Rae had noticed, her clan dealt with ice and water, which, really, made a lot of sense due to their physical appearances. Why was Kamiko special enough to have earned herself the title of the White Flame? With an A-Ranked threat warning placed under her name, no less.

 _'Kamiko, also known as The White Flame, earned herself that title due to her infamous katon jutsu known as the White Fire.'_

Rae's brows furrowed.

Was it a clan technique? Now that she thought of it, white fire didn't seem too difficult to place as something a member of her clan would have. It certainly fit in with their color schemes of all things. But, no, if it was a clan technique why would only Kamiko have been known for it? Why was she so well known for it that it caused her to be recognized and warned against?

Rae lets out a long, deep sigh, and lets her head fall down onto the table, hitting the notebook filled with whatever notes she had been taking about her clan and this girl in particular.

 _Who was she? Why was she known as White Fire? Why is she dead? Who killed her? Why do I **care**? _

"Nee-chan?" Naruto asked uncertainly from his spot in front of her, curiosity on his voice as he gazed down at his older sister figure. Rae lifts her head from the notebook, body still slumped over, and opens her mouth to answer his unasked question.

Then she pauses. Her eyes flick to the side, and she gazes at the person standing a few meters away from the two of them, behind Naruto. A serene smile on creamy, pretty features. Hands folded into the robes of his blue and white yukata. Dark, dark blue hair. Rae groaned.

It looks like ditching her new bodyguard would be more difficult than she thought.

With another sigh that blew wisps of white hair away from her face, she sat up straighter.

"Ne, Naruto, how many of those books do you wanna take home? I gotta get going soon, so we should wrap this up."

Naruto looked momentarily heartbroken that she had to leave, but it was soon replaced with excitement at the idea of getting to read his favorite stories at home now. Gathering up his favorites from the small pile on the table, he stood and grinned. Rae followed suit, grabbing her notebook and pen and stuffing it into her bag, then grabbing the three books with information regarding the three Clans and placing them under her arm.

She walked straight toward the older boy, still with that calm smile that Rae was really beginning to dislike, and thrust her books into his arms.

"Check out those books, and his books," She pointed down at a curious Naruto with a handful of children's books in his hands. The bodyguard slash servant looked momentarily stunned at the new advancement, but nodded either way. Rae sniffed. She certainly didn't like this, but if she got to make him miserable just as he was making her miserable, she would use that to her gain.

Naruto looked amazed.

"You have _servants,_ Nee-chan?"

Rae shrugged.

"I do now."

* * *

((A/N: I think this might be the longest chapter thus far? It's past 5.2k words, but I don't remember how long the other chapters have been before, so, eh.

More information gathering in the next chapter, as well as Rae going back to her Clan Compound. Can not wait for that reunion, right? Hehe..

Question!: As stated in the A/N at the beginning, I want to do something special for you guys to celebrate almost 150 followers, 100 favorites, and 50 reviews. Let me know what I should do, whether it be drawing pictures for you all at my blog, writing up a special chapter for you guys, or just getting out a chapter sooner than I usually do, let me know what you want!

See you all next time!))


	18. Avoiding The House

((A/N: Woot, look at that, we're almost at 20 chapters now. Nice. Also, as expected, I reached over 100 followers and 150 favorites with my last update. You guys are amazing, truly! Also apparently I was wrong? The last chapter was only five thousand three hundred words, roughly. The longest chapter I've written so far was chapter 3, which was 5.8k in words. I'll try to break that record at some point.

May525- I do have a side story for a lot of little omakes I like to write. You can just click on my username and it'll take you to my account, and look for the story called "Naruto Tidbits". I have like 2 chapters in it so far, and I'm working on two others for it.

Guest- Thank you so much! You're so nice. I'm glad you find my characters interesting. Hopefully I got this out soon enough to your liking!

readthishit- So kind of like writing an AU of my AU, huh? Lol. I would love to do that, but most of the ideas I get are when she's older, you know, when the rookie 9 are at least in the academy, so I don't like to give away spoilers for future chapters, yknow? But, I get what you mean! I can do that with current chapters. Right now, I have an idea to write a chapter for the Naruto Tidbits things about what if Rae was born into a different clan, or a different time. I should be able to get them up by the end of the week, maybe? I'm not sure. I'll get 'em done, though, thanks for the suggestions!

So, I lied. I won't be getting into Rae's awkward meeting with her parents just yet. I should really stop trying to predict where this story will go, eh? At this point I think it's just writing itself and we're _all_ interested in seeing how it's gonna go down and what's gonna happen in the future.

Either way, enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Kenta Shimizu.

The name of her newest 'buddy in arms', AKA the man - or, er, boy? He's not too much older than she is, really. Either way, he's the person who was chosen to watch over Rae at all times, watching her every move and following her around like some kind of lost puppy. A lost puppy who will glare at anyone who gets too close to the Shimizu Clan Heir, but a lost puppy none the less.

He has a scarily stern and effective glare, honestly. Which isn't entirely fair considering if you put a bit of makeup on him to soften his features, he would look almost like a girl. A tall, lanky girl with absolutely no breasts whatsoever, but a girl nonetheless.

She would tease him about it.

His hair, the same dark, dark shade of blue that looks almost black in the dark that all men of the Shimizu Clan had, was just long enough to reach the top of his grey and blue yukata. It was cut and styled neatly so none of it swept over his eyes and got in his way, but was just long enough to be able to brush it behind his ears if he wanted to. There was a small, round beauty mark just underneath and to the side of his left eye, which made him look unfairly cute when he put on a charming smile. His eyes were, also, the same color as all males of her clan, a deep ocean blue that made their eyes look deeper than they really were. However, they were sharper than most other male's eyes were, as if he was always on guard, even if he did let out a disarming smile. His skin was pale, as if he barely ever got any time in the sun.

She briefly wondered if she could convince him to follow them to the beach for a whole day. She wanted to know if he would get sunburned.

His light grey yukata with blue trimmings was neat fitted, not too loose as to cause trouble if he needed to get into a fight, but loose enough to look kind of comfortable, in Rae's opinion anyway. It proudly displayed the Shimizu Clan crest on the center front and back of the comfy-looking outfit in a light blue shade, with a wide, soft sash tying it all together across his waist.

All in all, he looked too young and soft to be able to fight and protect the Heiress to the Shimizu Clan if needed.

However, the cuts and scars on his calloused, pale hands spoke of years of training and conditioning. The middle finger of his right hand was just slightly bent out of place, as if it had been broken years before and was never properly treated in time. Rae vaguely wondered how good her Clan was at healing jutsus. Or any type of medicine and healing, really. There were a few fresh looking cuts on his hands, and a few bruises that looked rather painful that she could spot just below the yukatas long sleeves before he tucked his hands into them.

Right now, Rae was currently walking down the sides of the streets of Konoha, Naruto by her side. He was carrying a single book in his hands, excitedly flipping through the pages, even though Rae was entirely certain he was just admiring the pictures and not actually reading the story itself. She had placed the rest of his books that he had picked out from the library into the messenger bag she had been carrying, along with her books carrying information about the Clans she had been interested in reading about.

She _had been_ carrying the messenger bag full of heavy, large books along with several childrens' books.

Right now, Kenta Shimizu was carrying it, following the two younger kids at a distance. Rae could understand the fact that he probably wasn't following her around out of choice and might have been forced into being a personal bodyguard for her. However, she was a bitter, bitter little girl, and would gladly abuse his services and use him as a personal servant instead.

He only made her bitter feelings worse with the fact that he didn't seem burdened by the heavy weight at all.

She was sorely tempted to give him something incredibly heavy and see how long he could cart it around for her. However, she decided she wasn't _that_ petty and bitter about the whole thing. She might have just a teensy, tiny big of pity for the older looking boy.

He honestly wasn't even all that much older than her, as she had found out earlier just after she left the library with her otouto in tow. He was only fifteen at the moment, only six years older than her. He was taller than her, though. Much taller. And pretty lanky, too, despite the small muscles she could see whenever he reached his hand out and lifted his yukata sleeve.

Rae had learned that he was currently a fresh Chuunin, working to be able to take the Jonin exam in a few years' time. She wondered for a moment why they wouldn't put a Jonin as her bodyguard if she was considered so damn important to them, but then discarded the idea because she honestly didn't really care. At least it would be easier to slip away from a Chuunin than a Jonin. Not easy, for sure, but easier.

She was still going to give him hell, though. Pity be damned.

Currently, however, Rae and Naruto both were walking in a companionable silence - or, rather, companionable for Naruto. It was very awkward and slightly hostile in Rae's opinion, what with the two younger kids being followed by an older, much stronger and much faster kid with knowledge of how to kill people a hundred different ways. Probably with and without a weapon on him, too.

Which, he certainly had weapons on him, if the occasional glinting of metal shining in the sun in the sleeves of his yukata was anything to go by. He probably also had a pack of weapons hidden somewhere under his yukata, but Rae wasn't all that excited about thinking what might be under an older boy's clothing.

The moment the two of them, not counting Kenta as he wasn't exactly _with them_ with them, arrived back at Naruto's apartment, Naruto ran inside with an excited grin on his face, happy about the day he spent with his Nee-chan and her friendly servant guy who was happy to carry his things for them. He ran in and jumped up onto his bed, nonplussed at the slight creaking of the rusty old springs inside his mattress as he got comfy with his new book he was still nose-deep into.

Rae followed inside at a much calmer pace, arms folded over her chest and a slight contemplative look on her features as she looks around as if she had never been here before. Truthfully, though, she was trying to see if she could catch glimpses of her watcher without being too obvious about the fact that she was trying to evaluate him with looks alone.

When he hesitated in the doorway of the apartment, Rae turned around to face him fully.

His ocean blue eyes glanced around the room uncertainly, and she knew he was wondering if he should come inside to watch her closer, or stand outside and face the difficult job of watching her from a distance.

Naruto's excited voice carrying over from his creaky old bed made up his decision for him, however.

"Come on, get in here! A friend of Nee-chan's is a friend of mine!"

Rae was pretty sure anyone could be a friend of his if they just asked, but she wasn't about to say that aloud. Not when the older boy turned to glance at Rae with a questioning look on his almost blank face. For that, Rae really did hesitate herself. She knew he was a bodyguard and a watcher to make sure she was doing everything the way the Shimizu Clan would want it to be done, but even if she was treating him like a personal slave or some sort, she hadn't expected him to _ask permission_ to do something that involved her. Especially not to ask if she was okay with it.

It was small and unimportant, but it still meant something to her, however small, that he would ask if she was alright with something before going through with it.

For that alone, she gave an uncertain nod at him. His half blank, half curious look immediately flattened out into the same harmless, disarming smile that she was sure was probably faked, and he stepped inside and turned to close the apartment door with the grace of a dancer.

It really was unfair, how pretty he looked.

She was seriously contemplating putting him in a dress. If only she had one that would fit him.

Then she paused, because _did she own any dresses in the first place?_ Keiko probably owned a few fancy kimonos for special occasions, but she didn't know about actual dresses or anything of the sort.

Kenta didn't even clear his throat or blink when he turned to see his charge staring at him with a deep, contemplative look on her features.

"How many missions have you been on, Kenta?"

To his credit, the boy didn't even react when she didn't use an honorific on him.

"Twenty three to this day, Shimizu-sama."

Rae's eyes narrowed, both in the number of missions the only slighter older boy had under his belt, and the choice of both name and honorific he used on her. Naruto, however, shot upward when he heard her question, and his blue eyes widened in awe when he heard the answer.

"You're a _ninja,_ Kenta-san?!" Naruto asked, pointing one chubby finger at the boy with dark blue hair. He let out another serene smile that absolutely had to be fake at this point. Nobody smiled after Naruto shouted at them in his booming, childish voice.

"Yes, Naruto-san, I am a Shinobi of the Leaf."

Rae hated his stupid, smooth voice that fit his stupid, pretty face perfectly.

Naruto openly gaped at the boy with amazement and admiration in his face, and he let his book drop to the floor in favor of questioning the newly appointed Shinobi, who was, apparently, a very amazing thing to the young blond boy.

"How many?! No, wait Nee-chan said that. Uh, how dangerous were they?! Tell me about 'em! Do you have any cool jutsus you could show me?" Then he gasped dramatically, hands flying to the sides of his face. "Can you _walk up the walls?!_ "

Kenta didn't even blink as he answered each question Naruto threw at him, counting them off on his fingers.

"Twenty three missions to this day. Fifteen were D-class, seven were C-class, and one was A-class. I'm afraid I'm not allowed to talk about C-class missions or above, and I'm entirely certain you wouldn't be interested in hearing about picking weeds or taking out someone's dogs. I have plenty of jutsus I find interesting, and I'm sure I could show you a few of them if Shimizu-sama agreed to it." Then he took a deep breath, as that had all been one long, fast answer, and he let his hands drop into a folded position in front of his chest as he gave a polite smile. "Yes, I can walk up walls."

Naruto didn't need even a second to process it all, jumping up from his bed and running over to practically tackle his elder sister figure into the wooden floorboards.

"AGREE TO IT, SHIMIZU-SAMA! _AGREE!_ "

Rae let out a strangled breath, and as much as she like to think it was because of the four year old canon that had pushed her into the floor, it was probably mostly from her younger brother figure calling her 'Shimizu-sama'. She let out another single, strangled cough, then groaned loudly and dramatically to catch the younger boy's attention.

"Another time, otouto. Right now, I have books to read, remember? I'm sure _Kenta_ would love to show you them another time." She sent a stink eye to the older boy, who was sporting a rather amused smile on his face at the sight before him.

Naruto's head whips up and around to look at the Shimizu boy.

"Will you?!"

A smile.

"Of course."

* * *

"You're such a fake."

Kenta Shimizu inclines his head slightly from where he stood walking beside his young charge. They had left the apartment that Naruto lived in on his own less than half an hour ago, and they had been doing nothing more than wandering around for a while now while Rae thought about what to do with her time. She wasn't interested in going back to her Clan compound, much less her own house.

Kenta let a serene smile cover his features.

"I don't know what you mean, Shimizu-sama."

"Don't call me that."

"What would you rather I call you, Shimizu-sama?"

She scowls. "My name is Rae."

He nods. "Hai, Rae-sama."

She doesn't know whether she tripped over her own feet because of his apparent easygoing nature to calling her something other than Keiko for once or because he was still using the '-sama' honorific, but it didn't matter either way because Kenta was fast enough to catch her with a hand to the back of her shirt.

"You should be careful and watch where you step, Rae-sama."

Instead of standing back up, she scowled and plopped herself down onto the warm ground, brushing her knees off with her dusty hands. She sniffs before leaning back to rest her back against a building wall nearby, as they had been walking off to the side rather than in the middle of the walkway. She scrunches up her face in thought before opening her mouth to speak.

"Actually, on second thought, I'm currently pretending to be a boy so call me Kei instead."

There was a small twinge of amusement in his voice when he spoke, "Hai, Kei-sama." She didn't bother looking up at his face, knowing he was probably smiling again. This time, however, it might be a genuinely amused smile instead of a witheringly fake one.

She pats the ground next to her for Kenta to sit down, and he does so obligingly, although in a much more graceful way than tripping over his own feet like she had.

"And I meant your smiles," Rae clarifies on her earlier statement after a few tense seconds of silence between the duo. "They're all fake. A fake smile is kinda like lying. Don't lie to me."

Kenta's smile fades away, until it's nothing more than a faint trace of a smile, and he looks down at her.

"Are you saying not to fake my smiles, Kei-sama?"

She glances up at him.

"Yeah. Don't fake your smiles at me, Kenta. I don't really care if you lie to other people, but not me."

He nods. Rae grins, holding out her hands to the older boy.

"Good! Now carry me to the Uchiha Compound!"

To his credit, the older boy barely even looked confused as he stands, brushing the dirty off the hems of his yukata before he turns around and gets down on one knee, moving the messenger bag he still carried off to the side so it wouldn't get in his way before holding his hands out backward for Rae to get on his back. She grumbles about 'what's the point of getting you to carry me if I have to get up anyway', and she was suspicious that the slight shaking of his shoulders was not a cough or a shudder.

* * *

The walk to the Uchiha Compound was fairly uneventful, as it usually was for the young Shimizu Heiress. She did, however, make small talk and figure out a bit more about her new guard dog while they walked.

"When did you start your training, Kenta?"

"Four years of age, Kei-sama."

"Did you go to the academy?"

"Hai, I did."

"Did you have a team of Genin when you graduated?"

"No, Kei-sama. I was pulled out of the academy after I graduated and was put to work inside the Clan Compound."

"How did you run missions then?"

"I ran the missions I was told you run, Kei-sama." That wasn't really an answer to her question, but she was willing to let it slide.

"What kind of missions?"

"Fifteen D-class, seven-"

"No, what _kind?_ "

"Ah. Seduction and espionage."

Rae nearly choked on the air she was breathing. She struggled in the boy's arms for a moment, trying to twist around to look at his face as if that would tell her whether he was joking or not. When he turned his head to glance at her, she found nothing but confusion on his features.

"You- _seduction?_ You're a _spy and a whore?_ "

He frowns lightly.

"A whore is not a term I would use for my mission assignments."

"You sleep with other people!"

He blinks, then smiles and lets out a quiet laughter.

"I don't think you understand how most seduction missions go, Kei-sama. Nine times out of ten, I do not require to actually sleep with the target, but simply to catch them off guard by flirting and getting them alone. I am a spy, an information gatherer, not a whore."

Rae didn't know whether she felt better by that or not. She didn't really know why it bothered her so much in the first place. Probably because of how young the boy was, and the idea that he was being used as an almost sex-slave startled her so bad she nearly choked herself in surprise. Now that the confusion was out of the way, she scowled and ignored the feeling of her face heating up in embarrassment.

Then she paused, blinked, and let the scowl fade from her face.

"Nine times out of ten?" She repeated, uncertain.

He nods.

"Occasionally, I will have to sleep with the target for the required information."

Rae blinks once more, stares for a second, then blinks again. He seemed so perfectly calm with this information, as if selling out his body to strangers for the sake of a tiny bit of information was alright and made perfect sense to him. She opened her mouth to argue, to tell him that he shouldn't be doing that, that he shouldn't be okay with it, and that it was sick and a disgusting thing to be forced on a young person, but before she could speak, Kenta was walking through the open gates of the Uchiha Compound.

He kneels to the ground and places Rae down on her own two feet, standing back up to his full height afterward and, like before, placing his hands calmly in the folds of his yukata sleeves as he smiles down at her. She didn't even bother telling him not to lie to her with a fake smile, because all of a sudden she wasn't entirely certain whether it was fake or not. She was kind of seeing him in a new light.

"Keiko-chan?"

Rae turns her head to the side to see who the sweet voice belonged to, even though she could recognize the voice nearly instantly. She offered a polite nod to the woman beside the two younger kids.

"Mikoto-sama."

The Uchiha Clan matron smiled kindly down at the younger girl, then turned curious dark eyes to the boy beside her.

"And who is this young man, Keiko-chan?"

Kenta smiled at Mikoto, and Rae caught herself before reminding him about his fake smiles. To be fair, she did tell him she didn't care whether he lied to others or not. Kenta offers a polite bow, bent at an angle just enough to speak of polite respect but not enough to be damning to the Shimizu Clan and how the two currently see each other. Rae didn't think it mattered, but she didn't care one way or the other considering it didn't affect her.

"My name is Kenta Shimizu, Uchiha-sama. I am Rei-sama's personal servant and protector."

Mikoto glanced curiously down at the white haired girl now, and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Rei-sama?" She asks, a small tone of amusement in her voice.

Rae huffs and folds her arms over her chest, looking off to the side.

"Everyone thinks I'm a boy, so I'm going by Kei. I'd appreciate it if you called me that, too, Mikoto-sama."

To her credit, the older woman didn't even blink in curiosity at why she was going by a boy's name now. She did, however, cover up a small laugh with a clearing of her throat.

"Of course, Kei-chan. Or would it be Kei-kun, now?"

Rae fights back the urge to scowl. Mikoto may be teasing her about it right now, but the older woman was still kind to her and did oblige in calling her whatever name was requested to go by without question. Scowling would be rude, and Rae rather liked the woman before her. So, she shrugs and opens her mouth to speak instead.

"Can I see Sasuke and Itachi?"

"Of course."

Mikoto turns around and begins walking away without another word, a small smile still on her lips as Rae got up to follow, Kenta trailing behind by a few feet respectably. The walk was fairly short, despite how big the Uchiha Clan actually was and how much space it took up in the outskirts of the village - something Rae had not missed, by the way - out of the way of the other clans.

When the trio arrived to Mikoto's home, Rae and Mikoto shed their shoes in favor of putting on a pair of house slippers. There were a few pairs of wooden shoes for guests to put on when entering the home, but Rae had been considered a common enough guest that Mikoto had gone out and gotten a pair of slippers for her to wear comfortably inside the house.

According to the older woman, it was Itachi that picked them out for her, which kind of made Rae happy because she really did like the pair of warm indoor shoes. They were a faded red color with green and pink lotus flowers on them, and Rae briefly wondered how Itachi had come to know that she liked those colors. She would ask him another time.

When Mikoto informed Rae that Sasuke had attempted to buy her a pair of joke slippers with blindingly bright pink kitten faces drinking milk from bowls, she didn't know whether to laugh or silently vow to hit the cute, chubby little boy the next time she saw him.

"They're right outside, in the backyard, Kei-kun," Mikoto motioned to the back entrance to the nice homey place, smiling still with her polite voice. Rae hated how pretty all the Uchihas were. It really was unfair that even the boys were prettier than she was.

Then again, she guessed she shouldn't be complaining, what with her acting like a boy and all that.

So she nods to the mother Uchiha and ambles out to the backyard, walking through the sliding screen door silently. Or, rather, as silent as she could, but Itachi still paused with what he was doing and turned around to see the newest visitor. When he saw the girl with white hair, he blinked in momentary confusion before lowering his arm.

An arm with a hand clenched full of kunai. Looking at the chunk of wood he had been facing moments before, she saw that there were several red targets placed all around the clearing, and nearly all of them had a couple of kunai thrown into them, a few of them even held small senbon needles.

Rae slipped off her comfortable house slippers, no matter how comfortable they were and the fact that it was getting colder out with every passing day as winter approached, she didn't want to get them dirty with dust and mud. Placing them on the edge of the wooden back porch, she walked out into the grass barefoot. The grass was cool and dry under her feet, and she was surprised to say it almost felt nice to her warm skin. She'd gotten used to the hot desert back in Suna, and it was warm in Konoha when she first arrived, so the cool weather was an almost welcome change to the young girl.

"Hey, Itachi-kun," Rae greeted calmly, nodding at him as she walked closer. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen at the moment, which confused her since Mikoto had said they were both out in the back yard, but she didn't really care at the moment. Besides, she was more comfortable being alone with Itachi than with others, considering he knew her better than the others did.

Itachi nodded back, letting his arm drop all the way, although she notes he doesn't put the kunai away. Maybe he thought he needed the practice, but Rae felt as though his aim was already as perfect as it could possibly get.

"Kei-kun."

She was glad both for the name he referred to her as, and the informal and friendly honorific. Maybe he was only using that title with her because she had used it with him, but she thought perhaps he considered her a friend as well.

She didn't say so, though. Instead, she glanced around the clearing curiously. She'd been out here twice before in the few times she'd been over here, and now a third time with this visit, but she had never really gotten to look around before as she had always been busy with something or another.

Now she was just here so she didn't have to go home.

"Why are you here?" Itachi asks quietly, and Rae momentarily wonders if he can read minds. "Kaa-sama didn't tell me you would be visiting today."

She shrugged, moving to stand beside him. She reaches down, since she was still just slightly taller than the older boy, and grabs one of the kunai from his hands. Gently, though, as she both didn't want to cut either of their hands, and she knew he might get defensive if she tried to yank it out of his grasp quickly.

"I didn't really tell her I'd be visiting today," she explains simply. She turned the kunai in her hands, looking all across the metal. It was still as sharp as a newly bought kunai could be, almost like it was fresh from a blacksmith, but the edges were scratched up and there was a bit of dirt on the sharp end, which not only showed that these were old kunai but also that he had already thrown this one and had gone and retrieved it to be thrown again. How many times did he throw his kunai around before he believed he was good enough?

"Why not?" He asks, a tilt to his head that Rae thought looked almost like a curious puppy.

She shrugged again, letting her hand fall back in a throwing position as she answered.

"I didn't really know I would be coming today either. I really just don't want to go home."

She didn't know whether she was more surprised by the fact that she was so willing to be honest with how she felt to the older boy, or the fact that the kunai she threw actually hit the target she was aiming at.

No, she was more surprised by the kunai thing. She trusted Itachi well enough to be honest with him.

Itachi followed her line of sight and nodded in approval at her aim, holding out his hand for her to take another. She did. They both cocked their hands back as they prepared to throw another at the same time.

"I see. What happened?"

His kunai hit the center of the target perfectly. Hers hit the edge of the target, still technically inside the range that considered she hit it, but far away enough from his perfect aim that she pursed her lips and grabbed another.

"I yelled. I got yelled at. I ran off. I haven't talked to anyone from my own clan except for Kenta since yesterday morning."

Itachi cocked his head to the side to look at her curiously, but he still hit his intended target dead on. Hers hit the tree beside where the target was hung up and bounced off, landing in the grass. She scowled.

"Who is Kenta?"

Rae turned her head to glance behind her, and when she saw the same boy that had been following her around since earlier that morning sitting inside with the Uchiha Head's wife, she narrowed her eyes at him. He was watching her out of the corner of his ocean blue eyes, keeping an eye on her while still pretending to be fully focused on the woman he was having a conversation with.

"A new babysitter my parents stuck on me. He won't leave me alone and he follows me everywhere."

Itachi follows her line of sight, catching the eye of the boy who had been staring at her. Kenta smiles a fake, polite smile, and waves at the two of them. Itachi nods back, but turns back to his throwing practice. He raises his hand, ready to throw another kunai as Rae grabs another from his other hand.

"His smile is fake." He threw his kunai.

"Yeah." She threw hers.

Both of the younger kids were caught off guard when their kunai collided mid air, clinking off of each other and spinning in the air for just a moment before gravity pulled both of them down to the ground. They both stared in confusion for a moment, but that was disrupted the moment they heard Mikoto snickering inside the house.

"Ha, you missed your target," Rae turned with a grin to her fellow kunai-thrower.

He leveled her with a flat stare, not quite harsh enough to be considered a glare but there was certainly a level of hurt pride in that look.

Then she hears the tiny pitter patter of small footsteps she had come to recognize, both from Naruto and another little boy she had grown to like. Turning her head to the side, she and Itachi both watched a young Sasuke running out of the forest to the side of them, carrying an armful of colorful leaves and something _squirming_ in his hands that Rae was interested in finding out about. It looked like a multitude of worms, from where she was standing.

The moment Sasuke sees her there, the bright grin is wiped from his face and he levels her with an unimpressed glare - an actual glare this time, not the hurt stare Itachi had focused on her moments before.

"Oh, you're still here," he turns his nose up, facing off to the side instead of looking at her for another moment.

"Oh, you're still a jerk," she retorts in a dry voice. She heard a coughing noise coming from inside the house that she couldn't tell whether it was from Mikoto or Kenta, she heard Sasuke's squeak of upset that he was caught off guard by a clever comeback, and she definitely heard Itachi's snort-cough that she had gotten used to whenever he found something entertaining.

"What are _you_ doing here, dobe?"

"Spending time with your Nii-san. We were tossing kunai together," she crossed her arms, knowing full well that he would be jealous at how she had been spending time with his wonderful older brother while he had been off exploring in the forest.

As expected, he turned instantly and stared at her in surprise, then a red tint spread across his face and he dropped the bugs - and, oh, yes, they were a handful of worms and colorful leaves for whatever reason - to point one chubby hand at the girl.

"He's my Nii-san! Go away! I bet you couldn't hit the targets anyway, like he can!"

Instead of continuing the argument, however, Rae grins a wide, proud smile at the younger boy and places one hand on her hip, the other hand flicking up over her shoulder to point a thumb at the older boy behind her.

"Itachi missed his target."

Itachi glared, Mikoto outright laughed, and Sasuke looked like his world was flipped upside down.

All in all, it was a good day for Rae.

* * *

((A/N: Hey you remember how I said I would beat the previous record of 5.8k words some time? Ta-da! Over 6k words in this chapter! Enjoy the longer chapter, my lovelies!

Question!: Any ideas on who Rae will end up with in the future? In fact, who do you think her first boyfriend/girlfriend might be?

ALSO, Important info here!: My family and I are in the process of moving right now, so this story is gonna be on hold for a little while as we move houses. In exactly five days me and my family are going to get on a plane to go fly to the state we're moving to, and after that we won't have our computers for a while, and even then we won't have internet and electricity for a while after that as we get everything settled in and we try to set things up in our new home. It might not be a few months until I can update this story again, but even if I can't write on here, I will have my phone with me so I can still be around on my tumblr account, **thehigherweclimb . tumblr . com** so go over there to talk to me and stuff!

That's all, thanks for reading this chapter. Leave lots of reviews, reviews are love! See you next time around!))


	19. Apology

((A/N: Ta-da! The next chapter! I managed to get this out before my family and I moved out of the house for good, but while I may begin the next chapter soon after, don't expect another one anytime soon. Thanks for all of your guys' kind words from the last few chapters. You all make me smile so much. Responses to reviews!

readthishit- I'm glad you like Kenta so much! And no, it's not bad to ship him with anybody whatsoever! To be honest, I'm really looking forward to writing more Kenta and Rae scenes. I think I might have accidentally just made Kenta my favorite too. Whoops.

May525- I guess I can see how Gaara and Rae might be kind of awkward in the beginning, heheh. She didn't exactly say _bye_ when she left, now, did she? Whoops. And you're right! The people she might end up with don't have to be canon characters. In fact, people are already beginning to like the idea of Kenta/Rae, and he was only in one chapter so far lmao(not counting this one, of course). Itachi and Rae are beginning to become one of the most popular ships for this story so far, haha. I can totally see it, though.

ItsOverNow- I love talking about ships with people, my dude. Come at me with all your ships, rarepair or no. Kenta and Rae? I have no idea what to call that ship. At first I thought let's mash their names and call it Renta, and then I made a terrible jokes about renting babies and I laughed forever and it all just went downhill from there. Itachi and Rae is officially called Raechi from now on, thanks to some people on tumblr coming up with it for me. And, huh. Jiraiya and Rae isn't something I ship myself mostly because of the large age gap even if Rae would be 18 when Naruto and Jiraiya meet, I don't ship them romantically or sexually at least, but you can go ahead and ship it if you want to. I won't stop ya, dude.

wyteeth- Thank you! I'm glad you like the story so much. Honestly, I'm thinking up some interesting plans for what'll happen when she and Gaara finally meet again... most of them are not too pretty. I wonder why?

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Rae chokes on the air she was breathing, and maybe a little spit of the water she had just been drinking. Maybe a mix of the two. Either way, she was choking, and the ten year old boy beside her looked as though he had no idea what to do. Only a second of hesitation passes before he reaches over and whacks her in the center of her back harshly once, and she spits up the water she had accidentally inhaled wrong.

"I-I'm sorry, but, _what?!_ " She immediately turns and levels the best glare she can muster onto the boy beside her.

Itachi looked at a loss for words.

He opens his mouth to speak, but Rae isn't finished shouting at him without giving him time to explain something. Well, she wasn't really shouting about it, he had asked her to keep her voice down so it was mostly a harsh whisper.

"You- You're thinking about going into _ANBU?!_ Seriously?!"

He shuts his mouth. He opens it again, pauses, then shuts it again. He nods his head.

Rae feels like her head was going to explode.

"But- but- but you're only a few months older than me!"

He looked utterly confused and as if he would rather be anywhere other than here in this moment, but he nods again anyway.

"And you're gonna go in ANBU?"

Another nod.

Rae opens her mouth to shout off something else about the issue to the clueless boy beside her, but she pauses for a second, hesitates, then clicks her mouth shut with an audible clacking of her teeth, which Itachi flinched at. Instead of going off and shouting at him again, she raises her hands in the air and flails them around for a second, makes a noise that she tries to convey every single emotion she was feeling at the moment, and then glances at her current partner again, hoping he would somehow understand what she was saying. Or, rather, hoping he'd understand what she was trying to convey to him.

He looked like someone slapped him with a fish.

She let out a heavy sigh that blew her longer tufts of white hair out of her face, then went limp and let herself fall backwards. Her feet landed in the water of the Naka River that they were sitting by. The duo had taken off their sandals an hour before when they first arrived to the location. Itachi's mother, Mikoto, had ordered the two of them to spend some time together after it had been far too long since the last time they got to spend real time together, according to her at least. She had planned this outing before Rae's impromptu showing up for kunai practice just yesterday afternoon, but they all agreed to go anyway. It never hurt to spend more time with friends, right?

At least Rae had more reasons to avoid home. Not to mention the fact that Mikoto, the angel that she was, somehow knew something was wrong with Rae and her household family, so she was willing to let her sleep over in their home until she felt comfortable going home. A futon was placed in the boy's room for her to sleep in, because they didn't have a guest room and Mikoto, as nice as she was, wasn't really all that happy with the idea of Rae sleeping in with her and her husband.

Rae might have given Mikoto a knowing, suspicious look, but she had gone to sleep in Itachi and Sasuke's room either way.

On the other side of the room, of course. Boys were gross.

Also, they were supposed to have Sasuke with them, but he had jumped into the river to play with the fish a little while after arriving here. Even if he did give her the stink eye and tell her to stay away from his brother or else he would set her on fire - which she seriously doubted he could really do, she didn't think he knew any fire jutsus just yet - he had still found the fishies more entertaining than the two of them.

Whether she purposely interlocked her arm with Itachi's arm and leaned up against him while blowing a raspberry at the younger Uchiha or not has yet to be proven. It was incredibly entertaining to see _both_ of their faces go beet red at that one.

Itachi was the first of the two to break the silence, to her surprise.

"It's supposed to be kept a secret, though. I trust you not to let anyone else know."

She looked up out of the corner of her eyes up, sneaking a quick glance at the slightly older boy. He was looking down at her with a serious expression, his brows furrowed and his eyes pleading for secrecy. Rae glances back at the blue-haired boy standing multiple feet behind the two of them, pulling food items out of a picnic basket that Mikoto had packed for them. Kenta had still been following her around since yesterday morning when she first slammed Naruto's door in his face. He was far away enough to not be able to hear the two of them, though, otherwise Itachi wouldn't have been speaking about this if he was in hearing range. She looked back at Itachi, a firm, determined expression on her face.

"Of course."

He had kept her thoughts a secret from others, she found no reason not to do the same for him.

"When, though? I don't think ten is a good age to get into something like that. Isn't it dangerous?" She asked, folding her arms behind her head. She blew the longer strands of her white hair out of her face as she waited for his answer. He hummed under his breath, agreeing with her thoughts without words.

"Being a shinobi is dangerous as it is, Kei-kun. But, no," he sent her a small smile, a just barely there upturn of the corner of his lips as he glanced down at her. "I'll try to wait a bit longer before I do join it. At least until Chuunin."

Rae nods her head once in approval.

Then she shrieks as cold water splashes across her legs and stomach. Sitting up straight fast enough to give herself vertigo, she saw Sasuke laughing in the water. There was a bit of water dripping from his chin, which told her the little brat had _spit_ that damn water at her. Gross. She narrowed her eyes as he laughed, pointing one wet finger at her in a mocking way. She placed one foot against the dock she had been laying against, leaning down slightly.

She could see Itachi shaking his head out of the corner of her eye as she jumped right at the younger boy, pulling him under the water with her.

The two younger members of their little outing struggled underneath the water as they both tried, and failed, to drown each other under the surface of the water. Or at least she thinks Sasuke was trying to drown her. He might have just been trying to punch her in the throat again, not that it would do any good, just like the last time he'd tried it.

They both struggled for another moment before both of them going up for water, pausing in their efforts to kill each other via river water.

Kenta and Itachi both looked unimpressed. At _her._

"What the hell Kenta, you're supposed to be on my side!" Rae throws her hands up, breathing slightly heavy from her little play tussle with Itachi's little brother.

Kenta smiles, holding the checkered blanket Mikoto had packed for them to set their food on up in his arms instead of gracing her with an answer to her unasked question.

"Kei-sama, the food will be out shortly."

She scowled, pursing her lips as she narrowed her eyes at the older boy.

Then Sasuke punched her in the throat.

She made Itachi and Kenta swear not to tell anyone that it actually made her choke. Sasuke laughed at her all the while.

* * *

"I don't think that was necessary, Kei-sama," Kenta speaks up from his position below her. It's been a few hours since their little picnic with Sasuke and Itachi, and while she was glad she was away from the two boys who kept teasing her about how a four year old got the better of her, she did kind of miss their company.

Now, with nothing to do and nowhere to go that she felt like being at the moment, she was simply riding on Kenta's back in a piggy back ride while he walked around various parts of the large village.

They'd probably passed that one dango stall four times already, but she didn't care. Kenta didn't seem to mind her weight, he wasn't even lagging or breathing heavy. The jerk.

"He punched me in the throat."

"He's four years old."

"He _punched me_ in the _throat._ "

"Well, that explains everything."

She tightened her hands around his throat at his sarcastic tone of voice.

"You know what, Kenta, I think you're getting too comfortable to be speaking to me like that. Maybe you should be groveling at my feet and asking for forgiveness."

Kenta doesn't even choke at her tightened arms around his throat, but he does chuckle a bit and lift her higher on his back. He tightens his hold on her legs, and she's instantly suspicious about what he's thinking of doing.

"Would you forgive me if I did this?" He asks in his smooth, soft voice, and Rae narrows her eyes, holding on slightly tighter and wrapping her legs around him in confusion.

"Do wha-"

She nearly screamed when he suddenly jumped high, _high_ into the air. Instead, she grits her teeth and closes her eyes against the wind, leaning down to hide her face in the back of his soft clothing to hide her face from the biting wind. For just a moment, there is a feeling of light weightlessness, and Rae opens her eyes to look around.

She didn't know whether it was worth it or not.

On the one hand, the view was _breathtaking._ Being so high in the air, she could see far and wide across the entire village. She could see the Hokage Tower from her position in the air, and the faces in the mountain seemed almost larger than before now that they were closer to it up in the air. She could see almost to the other side of the village walls, and she felt the wind die down from the initial biting, harsh whips against her features and into the soft, gentle breezes against her back and legs. Her eyes widened from the view, one she was sure to remember for a long time to come. She could see Kenta smiling at her expression.

On the other hand, she finally _did_ scream when gravity started working again and Kenta dragged her down with her.

Instead of landing on the ground in a pile of hurt and broken bones like she expected, though, he tilted his body in order to change where they fell, and he landed gracefully and lightly on his feet against a house's roof with a soft 'clack' as his wooden sandals touched the roof's shingles.

"Kei-sama?" Kenta asks in his ever present gentle voice, and she really feels like punching him.

"What," she begins, quietly at first. She pretends she didn't hear her voice crack in that word as she clears her throat and begins again. "What _was that?!_ "

Kenta smiles.

"A chakra enhanced leap, of course. I hear you're learning to become a shinobi. You will be able to do things such as this in time as well, Kei-sama."

"You expect me to believe I can jump _over buildings,_ from the _floor?_ And not get squished when landing?!"

"Hai, Kei-sama."

She goes silent.

"...how long did it take you to learn this..?"

"Four months. I had to learn tree walking and tree jumping before I could be trusted to leap over building roofs."

She blanched.

Four months of training for him meant he could do something like this? Don't be mistaken, Rae has seen shinobi and kunoichi alike using this technique, and she had always looked on and admired them and wondered _how in the hell_ they were able to do something like that, but she had never been the one to do it. Or, rather, she had never been a part of it before, considering Kenta was the one who did it and not her. Back when she was training in Suna, she had just barely covered the topic of what chakra _was_ and what it was useful for in your body, and the fact that you'd die without it. She'd never even used it before.

And then she remembers that in order to begin her shinobi training, she had to go home.

"...Kenta."

"Hai, Kei-sama?"

"Take me back to the compound."

"Hai, Kei-sama."

If she noticed his satisfied smirk, she didn't comment on it.

* * *

He ran the whole way back, not even on the ground. Rae liked to think that perhaps she was a pretty brave girl to put up with the kind of things she's been through already, but not even she could deny the fact that she was hanging on for dear life while Kenta practically flew over the building roofs that he had informed her most shinobi took when they needed to get somewhere quick. She could understand that, considering it would be pretty difficult - not to mention pretty rude - to try to shove your way through thick crowds on the village grounds.

When his wooden geta sandals - and really, he had to have an impeccable sense of balance to be able to run over rooftops in those kinds of shoes without tripping or slipping up even _once_ \- touched down silently onto the concrete ground in front of the Shimizu Clan compound's gate, Rae was holding on less for the fear of falling off his back and more for the fear of what she was going to have to face when she stepped inside.

Kenta didn't object or argue when Rae stayed on his back for another few minutes. Instead, he began walking forward without a word. A few dark haired shinobi guarding the gates to her compound nodded at the two of them, and Kenta lowered his head in respect as he walked past them, the usual sly smile gone from his features and replaced with a firm, narrowed look of being on guard.

She wondered if perhaps he really was more comfortable around her than inside the compound, or if it was just a look he had to give off when he was surrounded by others from his own clan. He was, after all, the designated bodyguard of the current Heir to the clan.

When he began walking down the path that would eventually lead to her own house, she hid her face in the back of his clothing once again. She really did like how soft his yukata was. Maybe she'd request one in her own size after all of this was done. She could totally fall asleep in something this soft and warm.

The clacking of his wooden sandals against pavement brought Rae out of her thoughts. He'd been deathly silent before, even when falling from a rooftop onto the concrete ground, so she knew he was purposely telling others that he had arrived by not masking his noises. She had been taught that at Suna, shinobi often did this to respectfully let other shinobi know they were approaching. It was considered rude and hostile to sneak up on a shinobi, even if it was from your own home village. Which meant there were probably shinobi around.

When she looked up from the back of his head, however, all she saw where her blood relatives standing in front of the house. She vaguely wondered if maybe one of her parents was a shinobi, but the thought had no time to go anywhere when Kenta dropped down to one knee and let go of Rae's legs. She slid off hesitantly, and only hesitated for a split second before she let go of the hold she had around his neck.

He may have been a bother to her in the beginning, and she might still be feeling rather petty against him for keeping an eye on her and most likely telling her family everything that she'd been doing since she left two and a half days ago, but she still found him more comforting than the two adults looking down at her, both physically and metaphorically. Not to mention Kenta smelled like metal and grass, an oddly satisfying scent mix.

The adults, however, did not bring any comforting feelings to Rae. They looked disappointed and angry. There were no longer any hints of the worry they held for her before.

Then again, she wasn't missing like she was before. She had just run away from home, which, now that she stopped to think about it, was a kind of childish thing to do instead of facing her problems.

She still pursed her lips so she wouldn't scowl at them, though.

Kenta stood to his full height, back straightened, and folded his hands into the sleeves of his yukata passively as he lowered his eyes in respect to the two higher ranking clan members.

"Kazuhiko-sama, Emiko-sama," he greeted respectfully. Neither of the adults named paid him any attention, and he turned to leave without a word. Rae felt like turning around and going with him, to run away again from this madness she was sure she wasn't going to enjoy, or to at least tell him to stay so she wouldn't have to go through it all on her own, but she doesn't. She keeps her mouth shut, even if she has to clench her jaw shut tightly to keep herself from saying anything.

She can hear the wind rustling the grass and leaves of the trees around them the moment Kenta jumps up and away from them.

Rae is silent as she stares at the two older adults before her. She doesn't really know what to say to them, or how to even begin a conversation. She just wanted to go inside and see Jirouko and then start training so she can do all the cool chakra things Kenta could do. She would rather be with Itachi and Sasuke and Naruto and literally _anywhere other than here._

"Emiko-sama."

Her mother's eyes widen at the formal name from her own daughter, then grits her teeth together and narrows her ice blue eyes on the younger girl.

"Keiko," she greets back instead of whatever quip Rae was sure she wanted to say, and Rae isn't entirely certain if she's more upset by the name she was referred to or by the lack of an honorific. She knows that sometimes the lack of an honorific to ones title can mean that they've gotten so comfortable with each other that they don't feel the need to title each other, but Rae didn't feel comfortable with this woman whatsoever. Therefor, it was disrespectful in her mind's eye.

However, it was her biological father that broke the icey glaring contest between the two girls.

"Where have you been?"

Her eyes flick over to his.

"What, you mean Kenta hasn't been telling you everything?"

"He is your guard, not a spy."

"Actually, technically, he is a spy," she shrugs her shoulders, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her baggy pants indifferently.

Kazuhiko does not look impressed or entertained by her witty remark.

"Where have you _been?_ " He repeats himself.

Rae sighs. "I went and lived with Itachi-kun and Sasuke-kun for a while. I went to the library," which reminded her, she still had yet to read the books about the Uchiha and the Senju. "Uhh, I also went to the market for a while? Kenta took me around the village, too, so really, I've been all over the place."

They both looked severely unimpressed at what they knew she was hiding.

"Oh, I also went and spent the night with Naruto."

Emiko turns on her heel and leaves, walking into the front door of the house without another word. Rae felt both incredibly glad that she no longer had to deal with the older woman, but she also felt rather hurt by her sudden disappearance, as if Naruto's name itself was physically draining to the woman.

Kazuhiko, on the other hand, just sighs.

"Keiko," he begins, and his voice sounds so much more tired all of a sudden, so drained and tired. Rae flicks her eyes over to him. She wanted to argue and yell at him, tell him that Keiko was not her, was not her name and was not who she was, but she, too, felt tired by all of the arguing. So she just stayed silent, looking at him with a question in her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

And then the look of disinterest flies right out the window.

"W-what?" She immediately asks. She's aware of how dumb she sounds, stumbling out the word in confusion like that, but she couldn't really think of what else to say.

He turns his eyes to her, and suddenly he doesn't look as disappointed and angry as he always did look. He didn't look exactly worried like when she first met him at the village gates either, when he had looked so relieved to see her alive and well again.

"I'm sorry for everything that's been happening to you lately. You have to understand," he steps forward, towards her, and he stops just a foot or two away from her. He leans down on one knee and places a hand on her shoulder. "We never meant to place so much burden on you. Your sister..." He looked pained here, but continued.

"Your sister was the heir before you, you know this by now, yes?"

At her nod, he continued.

"She was... the best heir we could have asked for. She was kind and thoughtful, but also strict and harsh in battle. And she was powerful, too, one of the most powerful kunoichi we've had in a long, long time. The entire Clan felt so relieved, they all felt so _safe_ when she showed so much promise to lead us to a better era. Then... then, she went and fought in the war, to protect Konoha. She didn't come back..."

He sighed warily and shut his eyes.

"..Your mother fell into a deep depression when our first daughter died. And you... you were only six years old at the time, Keiko."

She knew her sister? She was six when she died? All of a sudden, all of Rae's previous thoughts about Keiko's memories came flooding back, but this time, instead of a deep desire to keep away from it all, she felt a spark of something, of a _need_ to remember something. Her sister.

"And the Clan was falling apart because of it all. Which was why we pushed you, our only daughter left, to try to get stronger as fast as possible. We wanted.. we wanted you to become someone just like her. We wanted you to become someone you weren't, and we never considered _you._ And I'm.. I'm sorry."

Rae is silent, but she knows her eyes are wide. She blinks once. Then again. She opens her mouth to say something, pauses, hesitates, then shuts it again. She blinks again. Her father sighs out a quiet, sad laugh, and he speaks again instead.

"You can befriend the blond boy." _Naruto._ "I won't stop you. Just, please," he looked into her eyes this time, and Rae could see the raw emotion behind them. His wall, his barrier that he had upheld the entire time she had known him thus far, was gone, and instead of the cold man she used to see, all she saw now was a concerned and _hurting_ parent. He leans forward and envelops her in a hug. She didn't do anything, didn't say anything, but simply stood there as she _felt_ his hurt.

"Just please don't fight us anymore."

* * *

((Ta-daa! Haha, I won't be updating this for a long while and I leave it off right there. Nice of me, right? Don't you all just love me so much?

Question!: Do you think she will forgive them? Do you think she _should_ forgive them?

Leave reviews! Reviews are love!))


	20. Minor Adjustments

((A/N: lmao you all remember when i said the last chapter was super long at 6k words? Well, this one is much, much longer than the last one. And I wrote it all in just a few hours too, because the ideas were just _flowing_ for some reason. So here, take it! This'll be my going away gift to you guys until I update again.

Thank you all for the reviews from the last chapter, and thank you for your patience for however long it took for me to get this out for you all. I'm currently writing this the same day I posted chapter 19, so I don't know exactly when I'll be posting this. I might get it out today since I have a shit ton of motivation to write for some reason, or I might wait and post it after my family and I move. Either way, you guys rock! Responses to reviews!

lostfeather1- I agree wholeheartedly with your ideas! I'm not going to try to defend her parents or what they're doing, and neither should Rae tbh, but it is what it is, unfortunately. She'll have to deal with it for a while longer. Poor bb in a strange world. Honestly, though, I'm thinking something along the lines of 'her parents don't _really_ understand what's going on with their daughter'. They don't really know the emotional stress they're putting their child under, you know? But... I can't really get too deeply into this with you because a lot of it will be making appearances in the story, so I'll just leave the rest to you to think about. Hope this update was soon enough for your liking!

May525- Itachi is a few months older than Rae, but Rae is taller than him by a few (maybe 2-3) inches, because she's tall for her age. He'll most likely end up taller than her in the long run tho bc we all know those Uchiha boys like to grow like god damn trees amiright.

Kejmur- You're the first person so far that thinks Rae should forgive them haha. Also, what makes you think it's the dad that's the shinobi here? 8) Just kidding, you're right he is an active Shinobi.

A bit of a timeskip in this chapter because I felt that most of the important parts of her getting used to Konoha have passed, and now it's time to see her start growing up even more than she already has. Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Thirteen weeks have passed since meeting Kenta for the first time. Rae has officially been in Konohagakure no Sato for three months and two thirds of a fourth month. It's been a a month and a half since she had last seen Naruto. It's been nearly a month since she last saw Itachi and Sasuke, even though she had practically begged to see them sooner. Her parents relented in letting her see Naruto a little while every now and again, probably because they didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time they told her no to seeing her faux little brother.

The only upside to Clan training was that she got to see Kenta every week or so.

Other than that, though, Rae was almost regretting agreeing to a somewhat docile training program within her Clan. _Within_ the Clan. Rae hadn't left the Clan grounds once in the month and a half, and that was only to meet Naruto for about ten to twenty minutes to let him know what was going on. She had also been allowed to explain the situation to Itachi herself, even though her mother told her that she would be telling Mikoto personally why Rae wouldn't be allowed to come over for a while after.

That reason being she had started her personal training the day after her father apologized for how he had been treating her.

She was still iffy on the apology, even to this day. She was kinder to him because while she may not be entirely certain if he truly meant his apology or not, hell, she didn't even know if he was being completely honest with what he had been saying about Rae's deceased elder sister, she could still understand the pain of losing someone they loved dearly.

It didn't, however, mean that she forgave them for how they had been pushing off all of their ideas and wants onto her relentlessly.

Don't even get her _started_ on Emiko.

The older Shimizu woman had almost been outright avoiding Rae ever since then. Even if they saw each other whenever Rae felt like having dinner at the dinner table and not in her own room, she was always distant and drawn away even during those few times they saw each other. Other than that, however, Rae never saw hide nor hair of that woman.

The emotional pain of being avoided by someone who was supposed to love her unconditionally stung her heart for the first few days, but she drowned that all out with the physical pain of training. And boy, was it _painful_.

She'd met her personal training the same day Kenta had taken her home after she'd been avoiding them for three days. Apparently, they had invited the trainer over to their home and had told Kenta to find a way to bring their daughter home, even if it meant dragging her back kicking and screaming.

Rae was both a little betrayed at the idea of Kenta bringing her back because he had been told to - she knew he was working for her parents and not for her, but she still liked him enough to feel almost betrayed by it - and also very much infuriatingly amazed at how seamlessly he could convince her to come back without making her suspicious in the slightest as to what he was planning.

She could then understand why he went into espionage. He was an _amazing_ actor.

Her personal trainer was some old geezer of a man with graying streaks of hair on either side of his head. The light gray contrasted greatly against his dark blue hair, and it made him seem even angrier than he looked on a daily basis. She really had to wonder why he seemed so angry all the time. It wasn't even in the way he acted - he was kind enough, if a bit strict with her training regime, and praised her when she did well just as often as he insulted if she did something wrong for the hundredth time. He just _looked_ angry. There was a constant scowl on his features, and his eyes were narrowed and slanted, making the ocean blue of his eyes seem even deeper and scarier than it normally did. There were age lines etches into his face that disappeared down into the stubble he had on his chin and above his upper lip, and it only made his scowl more prominent.

She totally was not afraid of him the first few weeks.

Not at all.

But as she spent more time with him, she learned to be a little more accepting of his odd ways. He didn't teach her the way she had been taught back in the Suna academy, and she didn't know whether that was just a village thing or if it was his own, personalized style of teaching.

She learned very quickly that hands on learning when you were teaching a child about how to dodge sharp weapons was very terrifying.

He had special training weapons, which meant that the kunai he used against her were very real, but blunted at the ends so if she was slow enough to not dodge it in time, it would do little more than give her a heavy bruise. Only occasionally did it break the skin, and even then it was mostly a small cut that went away in a few days' time. He hadn't even begun teaching her how to dodge senbon yet, and she was _not_ looking forward to the time when that part began.

When she first began her training, her teacher, who she had learned was named Manabu Shimizu - and she really had to laugh at that, his first name literally meant 'learn', no wonder he was a teacher - had only begun the basics of training. He brushed her up on what chakra was, what it did, how it was used to do many things - and _wow_ , how cool was that, to make yourself stronger or faster by feeding chakra to your muscles? Then, after about a week of teaching her academy-level history lessons about chakra, he had immediately begun teaching her about how to use it.

Chakra training exercises may have made her excited in the beginning, but after being completely drained of her chakra on the first day of training, she immediately decided it wasn't worth it.

'Too bad' Manabu-sensei had told her. Then he made her do it again and again, every day for two and a half weeks. She had really begun to think he was trying to kill her for the longest time. She certainly felt dead every night when she had just barely enough strength to eat a small snack before passing out in bed with a simple 'gnight' to Jirouko.

After that, he began training her in speed and strength. He trained her in speed by the aforementioned kunai dodging. He began it slow and steady when he noticed how slow she was for a child her age, but every time she successfully danced out of the way of being hit with a blunt metal object, he picked up the speed bit by bit until she felt like she was practically flying over the ground in an effort to not get hit by her sensei.

She had to continue doing this special brand of hell for another two and a half weeks, and she still had to sit down and do more chakra training exercises before going to bed for the night afterwards.

Then strength training began, and she wanted to cry.

Strength training may have sounded good and fancy and cool, but really, it was just her standing in a clearing and punching logs for hours on end. Sometimes she had to raise her legs to add in a kick every now and again, but she tried not to do that as often as she could due to how tired her legs were with all the running around and jumping she had to do every other week.

Then, after a month and a half of that had passed, she was finally put into a specific training regime instead of simply _introducing_ her to the various types of training she would be doing.

Get up at five in the morning. Have a good, healthy meal so she would have enough strength to get through the day. Meet Manabu-sensei in the Clan training grounds and begin punching logs while he asked her various questions about the rules of being a shinobi. If she got any of them wrong, she would run a lap around the Clan compound. Then she sat down and began doing book work with him - learning the history of the Five Great Nations, learning about the laws and maths and science and don't get her started on _strategy_ \- for about an hour. Afterward, she did speed training. Then they did a quick taijutsu spar to see what she excelled in and what parts she was still lacking in. Then more punching logs. Then running laps.

And then they sat down to have lunch.

Then they did everything all over again, but twice as hard because Manabu-sensei was a firm believer that eating a quick meal gave her the strength to do it all again with no problems.

Then, at the end of the day when she was barely able to stand up or walk in a straight line, they would sit down together under the shade of a large tree in the training grounds and Manabu-sensei would talk her through how chakra could be molded into various forms and sizes to do different types of jutsus, all while she practiced sticking a leaf to her forehead, or a rock to her nose, or a twig to the palms of her hands without letting it fall.

When she was completely drained of chakra and physical energy, he was kind enough to carry her home at ten, where she would then have dinner - it was always cold in the beginning, because her parents had dinner at seven, but they had learned to reheat her food and leave it out for her at around ten every night - and would drag herself up to kiss Jirouko's forehead then go to bed where she slept like a rock until five the next morning. Rinse and repeat.

She got seven hours of sleep every night, and while it may have been hard to adjust to that when she had been sleeping for eight hours each night, she had gotten used to it over time.

That had been the extent of her training thus far, though. History lessons, strength training, speed training, basic knowledge such as math and science, and then how to mold chakra to use ninjutsu.

However, the day finally came in which Manabu-sensei had promised to begin teaching her her first ninjutsu.

She actually woke up early that day, earlier than she usually did, and jumped out of bed with a bright grin on her face. She was excited, to finally, _finally,_ after three months of just running, punching, and reading old books full of lessons she hated - math was _hard_ -, she would finally be learning to use chakra for something other than holding a rock or a leaf to her face.

Walking over to her closet to get dressed, Rae eyes her appearance in the full-length mirror beside the dresser.

Her white hair had grown out again. She hadn't been too bothered with it in the beginning, because she was never really anywhere these days other than inside her own house or in the Clan training grounds, so there was never anybody to see her who didn't already know she was a girl. The white, wavy locks fell down to just below her shoulders this time, and the tufts of hair on either side of her face were still longer than the other strands due to her last haircut.

Due to how often she had tied her hair up while training, and often times leaving it tied up even while sleeping, it was less like an unruly mess these days and more of a mass of waves that occasionally curled at the ends. She liked the new look, and decided to sleep with it tied up if it meant keeping it that way.

Her skin was still not as pale as the rest of her clan's usually was. If anything, she might have gotten a few shades tanner due to spending all of her time out in the sun these days, even if it wasn't as bright and hot as the sun in Suna usually was. Her freckles were still rather prominent on her features, but she had grown to adore the rosy dots that mapped across her skin. She had a bit more muscle on her arms and legs this time around, and while it would be easy to hide under the baggy clothing she used to wear when she went outside of her Clan gates, she was rather proud of the muscle she was producing due to her training. It definitely wasn't much, considering she was still just nine years old, but it still made her beam with pride.

She was also an inch taller than she was when she first arrived, but it wasn't something she considered important at the time.

Glancing over her features once more, she grinned, and went to shower and dress herself in her usual training outfit. She had the usual baggy blue cargo pants that she had seen most shinobi wearing, but she had decided to wear something else. Manabu-sensei had been apprehensive about letting her wear something other than the usual shinobi wear, but he had hesitantly admitted that there were no rules saying she _had_ to wear what others wore.

So, instead, she found herself dressing in black tights with a faded red cloth hanging over the front and back, connected at the side with two strings, that slightly resembled a skirt. The black tights ended just above the shins of her legs, and she wrapped white bandages around the ends of it twice, mostly because she begrudgingly admitted that it did look cool on the other shinobi. She wore a simple, fitted mid-length sleeved dark grey shirt. There was a small picture of her Clan's crest on both shoulders outlined in white.

She had been gifted with a light blue cloak that was long enough to reach past her hips to wear when training due to how much colder it had been getting these days, but she usually worked without it. The cold made it easier to endure the pain in her muscles while training for hours on end.

Dressed in her usual training outfit, plus the plain black pouch that carried plenty of kunai and senbon to practice throwing with on her off time, she rushed down the hallway and down the stairs, knowing that her little brother would already be eating breakfast downstairs with her parents.

"Don't run down the stairs!" She heard Kazuhiko call, and she pursed her lips, but listened all the less.

Over the three and a half months she had been living with him and Emiko, she had grown to like him a lot more than the older woman. Don't get her wrong, she was still slightly hesitant around him and still held a bit of a grudge for the things he had piled onto her when she was struggling to stay sane for the first few weeks of moving here, but he had opened up to her greatly after the apology. She had come out and told him the truth, about how she was holding a resentment against the Clan due to everything being placed on her shoulders when she couldn't _do_ anything about it all, and he had listened.

Not just listened, but had tried his best to help. He had actually called a meeting with a few of the elders, a meeting Emiko hadn't been a part of, for whatever reason, and they discussed the new information he had gathered about how she was feeling about it all. Rae wasn't surprised in the slightest to hear that a few of the elders didn't care how she was feeling personally and only wanted her to do things in the name of the Clan, but she had begrudgingly admitted that perhaps they weren't _all_ terrible when more than half of them agreed to lessen her work load as she adjusted to Konoha.

Apparently they decided having a functional Clan Heir was better than having a broken but strong Clan Heir.

Her father, and isn't that a thing now that she finally allowed herself to think of him as something more than just the man who helped create her, gave her a warm smile as she ambled down the steps and into the dining room. He was sitting at the head of the table and was reading over multiple papers, something she had found him doing often since pulling back the amount of work she had to do until she was older, but he had lifted his head when he heard his daughter coming down the steps.

"Good morning, Kei-chan."

Ah, yes. The name was another thing. Her father had told her why he had outright refused to call her by a name other than Keiko in the beginning. She had been bitter and resentful about them being so adamant about the name, but had calmed down slightly after being told that he considered the name to be the last thing he had left of his daughter, of the real Keiko Shimizu.

However, she hadn't held anything back when explaining why _she_ couldn't go by that name. There had been silence for a long while, and even though there was pain on his features as he did so, he offered a truce. He would call her Kei, both because it was a name she had gotten comfortable going by in Konoha after pretending to be a boy for a while, and because it held _some_ resemblance to his daughter.

She'd agreed.

She didn't say anything back to him as she ran over to the breakfast table, instead nodding her head in greeting. She had plenty of time to get ready for training today, she knew because she had gotten up earlier than usual, but she still wanted to start it as fast as she could. She rushed over to the other side of the table to sit down besides Jirouko, who smashed his tiny baby fists into his bowl of mashed vegetables happily.

Reaching over and bopping one finger against his nose, and smiling when he began giggling at her, she began eating her eggs and fruit quickly, only slowing down when Kazuhiko looked over at her with a firm frown. He'd told her before that while eating might be important to gain up her strength, eating too quickly would only result in nothing more than a tummy ache.

The empty seat in the room was almost a loud reminder in the quiet room. Rae snuck a glance over to her father, wondering how Emiko's absence was making him feel. Rae didn't mind it personally, not after she had gotten over the initial sting of being ignored, but it was possibly due to the fact that she didn't know the woman very well. Her father, however, had been married to her for over twenty years, as he had told her fondly one night during dinner. She didn't know if it was an arranged marriage - she actually didn't even know if her Clan _did_ arranged marriages or not - but she knew he had strong feelings for the woman.

"How is your training going, Kei-chan?"

She looked up from her tilted position where she had been attempting to both stuff another strawberry into her mouth and tie up her hair in a tight ponytail at the same time. It wasn't working, and she frowned when the sudden question caused her to drop her strawberry onto the ground.

"Fine. Manabu-sensei is kinda mean when he wants to be, though," she answered truthfully. She didn't quite feel the same bond that allowed her to be honest about everything to her father as she felt with Itachi, but there were some things she had no problem talking about.

Kazuhiko smiled, and Rae noticed quickly that he had more age lines etched into his features than he had months before. She wondered how much work he was taking on so she could adjust, but she let the thought fly from her mind quickly.

"I know that all too well. Has he tried teaching you water walking yet? I'm sure you'll just love that part of training." He let out a deep laughter, and Rae let a small smile slip onto her face, even if she did feel a shiver of dread go up her spine at the warning. She knew all too well what he meant when he said she would 'love' that part of training. She was suddenly afraid of learning to walk on top of water.

She blinked, then let her hands drop before they got tangled in her wavy hair. She brought them up again after running her hands through her hair to attempt to tie it back up once more.

"How do you know Manabu-sensei? Other than Clan stuff, I mean."

He smiled. "I used to be on a Genin team with him. He's a good friend, but a mean man when he thinks someone isn't paying attention to what he's trying to show them. He loved to show off when we were younger."

She openly gaped. "You two are the same age?! He looks so much older, though!"

"Well, I suppose the years have been kinder to me than they have been to him!" He openly laughed at that, and Rae snorts in an attempt to not laugh hard enough to mess up her attempt to contain her wild hair. Her fathers dark blue hair was long enough to be tied back in a high bun, and while it occasionally had a few strands of lighter gray hair thrown throughout it, it was not nearly the same amount of gray in Manabu-sensei's hair.

"I guess so."

After tying her hair up in a high ponytail, she finally finished her breakfast when the conversation seemed to die off there. Kazuhiko seemed better from that one conversation alone, and he had a gentle smile on his face even as Rae got up to leave for training.

"Bye, Jirou-chan," Rae whispered under her breath as she picked her brother up and hugged him close to her chest. He wasted no time in hugging her back enthusiastically, giggling in a high pitched tone as he tried to grab at the ends of her longer hair. He was getting mashed vegetables on her back, but she didn't mind it. After months of training with Manabu-sensei, she had gotten used to getting dirt and mud and even the occasional splotches of blood on her skin and outfit. Instead, she smiled down at her happy little brother, who had grown enough in the few months she had been here to no longer need to be swaddled in his blankets at all times and was now wearing diapers.

Setting him down back into his high chair, she turned and gave a small smile to her father as she walked backwards towards the front door.

"See you later, tou-san."

"Good luck with your ninjutsu, Kei-chan."

Stuffing her feet into her dark blue sandals, the one thing she hadn't been allowed to change for whatever reason, she waved as she ran out the front door.

* * *

"Good morning, Manabu-sensei!" Rae waved one hand over her head as she ran towards her teacher who was, unsurprisingly, already there. She had a faint suspicion that he knew she would be excited about today and had gotten here earlier than usual in case she got here early too.

"About time you got here, Kei-san! What took you so long?" He grouched at her, wrapping his arms across his chest in a mock way of showing his anger. She knew after months of working with the older man that he wasn't actually upset with her, he was simply being his usual grouchy-looking self. He, like most others in the Shimizu Clan, used to refer to her as 'Keiko-sama', but he'd gotten close enough to her to use the more informal honorific while still staying somewhat respectful.

"Aha, sorry sensei. I was spending time with tou-san and Jirou-chan."

His expression softened at hearing her speak of her family so fondly, but he still pursed his lips in annoyance he didn't really feel.

Then Rae blinked in confusion, and turned to look at the second person here besides her. She grinned, then ran forward and flung her arms out to tackle-hug the person in question.

Kenta let out a quiet 'oof' at being hit in the center of his chest due to him being much taller than her, but he had expected it and was digging his wooden sandals into the muddy ground so they wouldn't topple over. The cold weather had made the ground almost constantly wet and slippery, and while she complained on and off about it, Manabu-sensei told her it was good practice for when she would have to learn tree hopping in the rain.

"Kei-sama, good morning," Kenta greeted pleasantly in the same smooth tone she hadn't heard in nearly two weeks. She had gotten too busy with her strength and chakra training to have the time to go searching for him. Over the time she'd been forced to spend with him, she had learned to like the older boy just a bit more than she used to. She had been right in assuming he was forced into being her bodyguard and servant when she had run away all those weeks ago, and she had subsequently learned that her Clan had something similar to the Hyuuga Clan in the fact that there was a branch side to their Clan.

Of course, unlike the Hyuugas, they didn't brand their branch Clan members and threaten to kill them if they misbehaved. Shimizu branch Clan members were simply mostly used as servants who worked to please the higher branch members, and while Rae was disappointed in the fact that they were, more often than not, forced into respecting higher members and doing whatever they were told, there was a limit to the kinds of things higher branch members were allowed to force Branch members into doing.

For instance, if a higher branch member was caught attempting to do anything funky with a lower branch member, they would be reprimanded publicly and shamed. Rae was glad to know her Clan didn't stand for that kind of thing, or else every ounce of respect she had learned to have for the clan would have died a bloody death right then and there.

She wiped those thoughts from her mind, though, and instead looked up and grinned at the older boy.

"Kenta! What's up? I haven't seen you in weeks, what the hell've you been busy with?"

Kenta, who's dark hair had grown out just long enough to be tied back into a super tiny ponytail - which Rae thought was _cute as hell_ \- smiled a serene smile down at her, and she was glad to know it was genuine. It made her feel better to know she could make people smile with genuine happiness.

"The sky is up."

Never mind, Rae wanted to punch that smile off his stupid face. She hadn't even been the one to teach him to be as sarcastic and dry as he usually was. She had learned that it was always a part of him, the part where he makes a terrible joke with a completely straight face just to watch as everyone around him struggled to figure out if he was joking or not. She had only gotten to learn that part of him a week or two into meeting him, as he had, at first, been very respectful and polite to her due to their separate branch bloods.

Rae kept the smile on her face, even if her eye twitched just slightly in annoyance. She hugged the older boy tighter around his stomach, and now with her being stronger than she was when she tried to choke him the first few days they met, she was glad to see his grin turn a little pained as she tightened her hold.

"All right, all right, gets your hands off of each other, you can grope each other all you like after she's done for the day. It's time for training, Kei-san."

When Kenta chuckles at the red tint spreading across Rae's features at the tease of _groping each other_ she leaned over and punched him in the stomach. He did let out a small wheeze as he doubled over her fist, but the smile on his face only widened.

* * *

Rae panted slightly as she bent over to catch her breath. It was a little after lunch time now and they had just gotten done eating a little over an hour ago. Kenta had brought some homemade food, and while Rae had greatly enjoyed the food Kenta had prepared for them that day, she would never out right tell him. Not until that little shit lost his smug air whenever he came around.

Looking into the reflection of the small puddle she had been leaning over, she noticed with a twinge of annoyance that her hair was coming undone. She pulled out the green hair tie and shook her head to let it all loose, then began combing her fingers through it as she thought - something she had found herself doing often nowadays.

Kenta was still here today, and while she enjoyed his company, he had never been around while she was training. Manabu-sensei had told them both that it was too much of a distraction. Rae had wanted to argue so the only person she was currently comfortable around could stay, but she knew he was right. She begrudgingly agreed that she couldn't focus one hundred percent when Kenta was around, and the older boy left. She was glad to know he didn't feel hurt or upset by her comment, but she had wanted to punch that smug look off his face before he left. Of course he'd be smug about the fact that she considered him a distraction.

But back to the point. If Kenta was still here, that had to mean he was going to have something to do with her training today. So far, she had gone through all of the first half of today's training, and while he held small parts in each of them - throwing a kunai or two at her during speed training, telling her whenever her stance slipped during strength training, or correcting her when she got something wrong during history lessons - she felt as though it had to be something else entirely.

She sighed, her breath coming back to her much quicker than it used to now that she had been exhausting herself every single day for the past three months. She tied her hair back up into a tight, high ponytail, then reached down to splash some cold water onto her face. It was cold enough that the ends of her fingers felt a little numb at the contact, but it made her feel more energetic than she was before as it cooled off her warm face.

She stood up straight when she heard her sensei calling her name from across the clearing.

"Hai, sensei?" She asked after she had jogged over, the panting now gone as she was simply cooling off before she started the second half of the day's training.

He glanced over her curiously, and then nodded to himself in approval for something. Before she could ask what he was thinking about, he opened his mouth to speak to her first.

"Kenta-san will be in charge of your ninjutsu training."

Her mouth, which had already been open as she prepared to ask him a question, dropped as she froze.

"Kenta will be training me? Why not you?"

Manabu seemed to grin at the hint of hurt in her voice, knowing that she was thinking he would no longer be her sensei. While he thought it was ridiculous for her to jump to such conclusions, and he knew he would have to beat that out of her or else it would come back to bite her in the rear later on in her shinobi career, he still felt a bit of pride at the fact that the kid he was teaching cared enough about him to miss him if he left.

"I will still be your sensei in every other matter," she sighed in relief, "But Kenta-san is much better at ninjutsu than I am." She looked up in shock at his grumbled admittance. The older man may have only looked gruff and upset most of the time, but he was still every part as proud of himself as any shinobi could be, which meant he didn't easily admit defeat about anything. She gave Kenta a calculating look. He simply smiled at her.

"...he is?"

Kenta put on a frown, holding one hand over where his heart is in mock hurt. "Why, Kei-sama, your suspicion about my ninjutsu skills wound me! I'll have you know I am a ninjutsu specialist with excellent chakra control."

She blinked.

"You are?"

This time, his eye twitched. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.

"All right, I'll believe you." Then she paused, pursed her lips, and gave him yet another calculating look. "Does that mean you know any medical jutsus?"

Rae had learned rather quickly while training with Manabu sensei that her Clan did not, in fact, specialize in anything medical related. It was apparently rather uncommon for someone from the Shimizu Clan to go into medical practice, perhaps due to the fact that most med-nin were required to stay away from combat whenever possible due to their importance on a team or in a group. Rae had blanched at the idea of hiding in the back while the rest of her team did all the work, but she had still been interested in learning more about medical jutsus, even if she didn't plan on learning them herself.

Kenta paused, then tilted his head as he hummed. "I know the basics of healing, but only enough to heal small cuts and bruises. I never got too far in learning to become a med-nin, considering I planned to go into a career that would put me in the middle of danger quite often."

She nodded. It was a logical choice. She still felt very relieved to know he would be here today, though. Not only was she beginning to believe he really _was_ good at ninjutsu, but she was also rather glad he would be able to heal her if she got hurt in the process. Considering Manabu-sensei never knew any medical jutsus, she had always had to deal with the natural healing process of all of the cuts and other various wounds she got while training with him. One time she had twisted her ankle after tripping in the rain, and she had to wait out a full week while it healed naturally before she could continue training.

Well, before she could continue physical training, that is. She was stuck for an entire week taking homemade tests made by Manabu-sensei, or draining herself of chakra until she passed out from exhaustion.

It was not a fun time for Rae.

"Okay. Uhh, what kind of jutsus are you going to teach me, Kenta?"

He looked at her expectantly, hands folded in the sleeves of his ever present gray and blue yukata. Rae looked at him in confusion for a short while, then sighed in annoyance when she realized what he was waiting for.

"What kind of jutsus are you going to teach me, Kenta- _sensei._ "

He smiled. He unfolded his hands from inside his clothing and brought one hand forward, holding out a small slip of paper for Rae to take. She blinked in confusion, but reached forward and took it anyway. She glanced over it in curiosity. It seemed like nothing more than a blank piece of white paper, cut into a neat, perfect little square that made Rae's perfectionist attitude happy. Glancing up, she saw him give one to Manabu-sensei as well, and there were a few more slips of paper in his hand for whatever reason. He separate one from the rest and held it out in his left hand.

"You've learned to mold your chakra already, right, Kei-sama?" He asked. Manabu-sensei moved his to rest in his right hand, looking over to watch the two of them silently.

She nodded hesitantly.

"Good. This paper is called Chakra Paper. Place it in your dominant hand and channel a bit of chakra into the slip of paper, and it will tell you what your natural element affinity is." He paused in his explanation, then added as an afterthought. " _If_ you have one, of course. There are the rare few who are not born with any natural affinity and will simply learn whichever one they are most interested in first."

Rae looked back down at the paper in her hands with wide, curious eyes. Elemental affinity, huh? Manabu-sensei had already taught her what a person's elemental affinity was and what they could do with them. Rae hadn't even thought of how she would find out what her affinity was. She looked back up after a moment, questions written all across her features. Kenta smiled patiently, as if he had been expecting her to look uncertain. He looked over and nodded at Manabu-sensei.

The older man nodded back and, after a second to look over at Rae and give her a grin, she saw his paper turn soggy and slumped in his hold. She blinked once, then opened her mouth in awe as she looked at the paper.

"I have a water affinity. Most of our clan does, actually. You'll probably have it too, but..." He trailed off, his tone getting a little uncertain at the end as he scratched the small stubble across his cheeks.

"But...?" Rae asked, prompting him to continue. He looked hesitant for a second, but eventually just sighed and gave a small, sad grin.

"Your sister had a natural affinity for fire, which is why we have to test to see what your affinity will be rather than just assume it's water."

Rae paused. Her older sister. ' _The White Flame'_. Her title made so much more sense now that Rae knew she had an affinity for fire, but she still had to wonder why she was referred to as the White Flame. She knew that nicknames or titles that were given to shinobi had to have been gifted to them because of something special, something that made that shinobi in particular unique. Plenty of people have a natural affinity for fire jutsus, so it had to be _something,_ right?

Especially considering the title had been given to her by the Third Hokage himself.

She pursed her lips and furrowed her brows in determination, then glanced back down to her own paper in her hands. Rae didn't exactly know which hand was the dominant hand with ninjutsu, due to the fact that she had never _used_ ninjutsu before, so she simply switched the paper to her right hand for the fact that it was her dominant hand in writing.

She looked back up at Kenta.

He smiled down at her, then held out his left hand, which held his slip of paper still. It turned to a soggy mush in a second.

"Just channel a small amount into your hand with the paper. It should work just fine."

She nodded, then looked back down at her paper. She was curious. She didn't know which natural affinity she would get. She didn't know which affinity she _wanted_ to get, honestly. Her entire clan dealt mostly with water, if what Manabu-sensei had said was true, so if she got water affinity then she would have plenty of teachers and would probably get to learn a lot of good techniques due to that. Then again... having a fire affinity somehow felt better in her mind. Perhaps it was for the sole reason her sister had had fire, and she felt as though perhaps if she had fire as well, she would be one step closer to being the powerful shinobi her clan wanted her to be.

Then she frowned, because _when did she start caring if the Clan was happy with her?_

She held her breath, then channeled chakra into her hand.

She didn't know how to feel when it turned soggy and went limp in her hand. She let out the breath, then looked up at Kenta for some reason. Perhaps to see whether he was happy with the results or not. His face was impassive despite the small smile on his face, and she gleamed nothing from his expression. When she opened her mouth to speak, he held out a second slip of paper to her.

She looked at it in confusion.

Kenta sighed dramatically, as if she was being too slow for his liking.

"Occasionally, some shinobi have been known to have two natural affinities. There have even been cases where someone has had three, but those are so rare they're considered a myth. Either way, put this slip of paper in your other hand and channel chakra into it to see if you have a second affinity."

She nodded slowly, but hesitated to take the paper. Kenta noticed, and pressed the slip of paper into her hand gently.

"It's highly unlikely that you'll have a second affinity at all, let alone a fire affinity. It's incredibly rare for people to have opposite affinities."

She let out a small sigh, but she couldn't tell if it was in relief or not. She still almost felt like having a fire affinity would have been a good thing for her, even if the thought did bring the bitter feeling of her Clan only thinking of her even more of as her sister rather than her own person. So she took the slip and held it in her left hand, smiling up at Kenta in thanks as she funneled a bit of chakra into it.

They all nearly gaped when the paper burned up and turned to ash.

Rae shot her head up to glare at Kenta. He held up his hands and let out a small, nervous chuckle.

"I said incredibly rare, not impossible..."

* * *

((A/N: I actually decided to cut this chapter off right here at 7.9k words and instead continue it immediately afterward in the next chapter, and make today a double update day. I'm eating dinner as I'm writing the second part, so don't expect the second part for a few hours, but it _will_ be up by the end of the night here. Once again, consider this and the next chapter to be my farewell gift to you guys as my family and I move away.

Question!: Why do you think Rae's sister was called The White Flame? I already divulged the fact that that it was because of a 'white fire technique', but what exactly do you think that is? If anyone guesses the right answer I might do a second double-update the next time I update the story 8^)

Leave reviews! Reviews are love! Expect the second chapter in a few hours, or maybe sooner if I continue to have so much motivation to write it like I did with this one!))


	21. Threats and Water Bullets

((A/N: Whoop, whoop! Here you go guys, the second part of today's double update. I hope I got this out soon enough for you all. A bit of secrets and such come out in this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy the bit of information I'm finally letting out lol. I think I've kept most of it a secret for long enough, so here's just a bit of info on it.

And even more questions that'll take a long time before I can answer for you guys. Isn't that cool?

No responses to reviews because this is a double update and I'm posting this just a little while after I posted the last one.

Enjoy the double update, and enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

"It doesn't matter either way," Manabu-sensei spoke up to keep the peace, despite the amused huffing he was doing at the tiny scowl on Rae's face. Kenta looked only slight apprehensive, and all three of the people present knew that it was just an act. He's faced much tougher and scarier opponents, for sure. You'd have to, if you've gone on an A-ranked mission as a spy before. "The point is, you've got both. Kenta-san can start teaching you your water jutsus, and uh, I'll... find something for your fire jutsus. Alright? No need to kill the poor kiddo, eh, Kei-san?"

Rae knew it was a joke, because as much as she liked to think of how far she's gotten with only a few months of training under her belt - not counting the three years she can't remember at all - each of the people present knew she would be no match for the Chuunin-ranked ninjutsu specialist with excellent chakra control.

Despite all that, she still huffed and crossed her arms, as if she was seriously considering it.

"Fine. I won't kill him."

Kenta smiled. "I'm glad."

She whirls on him, a sudden proud grin on her face as she narrows her eyes and points a finger at him dramatically.

"I'll just get better than you at ninjutsu! Prepare to get _destroyed_ , Kenta!"

He narrowed his blue eyes.

"Prepare to get _destroyed,_ Kenta-sensei!"

"I'm terribly frightened."

She scowled at his dead, monotone voice and his flat face devoid of any emotion besides the tiny, barely there smile she had gotten used to and had appropriately dubbed it as his 'default face'.

"You will be."

Then she pauses, and places a hand against her chin as she thinks.

"Will we be starting ninjutsu now, or wait until after I finished the second half of my training?" She asks, curious. If they did it before her second half of training, she might be lacking on her physical training seeing as she was told they would be practicing ninjutsu everyday just as they'd been doing with her physical training. On the other hand, however, if they did it after her second half of training, though, she would be drained, both physically and of chakra, and wouldn't have the energy to even _do_ the ninjutsu she would be taught every day.

Manabu-sensei nodded his head appreciatively at her smart question, and crossed his own arms over his broad chest as he answered.

"For today, you'll forego the second half of training to do ninjutsu with Kenta-san. Every day from after today, however, your schedule will change. You'll do the same training you've been doing with me for three days, then Kenta-san will have you for three days of ninjutsu-only training, and on the seventh day of the week we'll all be getting together to do the same thing we're doing today and to see how far you've gotten in your training. Understood?"

Rae takes a moment to process everything he said. Today they'll be doing both physical training and ninjutsu training, in the next three days she'll be with Manabu-sensei and continue their usual training, then the three days afterward she'll be with Kenta- _sensei_ for ninjutsu training. Then rinse and repeat.

She nodded her understanding at her older sensei, then turned to her newest sensei.

"So, Kenta-sensei," she grinned. "What'll we start with?"

He smiled back. "Water bullets. It's the simplest jutsu I currently have, and you can practice it first by drinking water, and as you get better you'll be able to do it by simply converting your chakra itself into physical water. Sound good to you, Kei-sama?"

She nodded, even if she felt a little dazed at the idea of turning energy into a physical element. It sounded so _surreal_. Shinobi were secretly Gods, apparently.

"Cool. When do I learn to do that?"

He blinked down at her.

"Now, of course. Go grab your water canteen, and then I will be instructing you on how to create water bullets with already existing water."

She nodded again, a determined look on her face as she turns and runs off to go grab her water from the pack she had taken with her. Now she understood why Kenta had brought so many water bottles with him in the picnic basket he had brought with homemade food. She wondered how many of them she would have to drink to create those water bullets. Then she shuddered at the idea of drinking so much water. She vaguely wondered if any water users had to go pee in the middle of battle because of it.

* * *

Kenta watched Rae run off to go find her bag, the small smile still ever present on his face. The older man standing beside him let out a gruff sigh, for once sounding much older than he acted most of the time. Kenta knew the older Shimizu man liked to put on an act for the younger generation, but he knew the man too well to not be able to see past his act. Kenta was, after all, rather good at spotting liars.

"I hate having to tell her about her sister like that," Came the eventual words from the gruff older man. Kenta didn't react outwardly other than the small movement of putting his hands into the folds on his yukata. His fingertips brushed across the many, many rows of small senbon needles inside the folds of his yukata sleeves. The cold metal brought him comfort, and he finally parted his lips to speak.

"I'm certain she will regain her memories in time, Manabu-san." A lie. Manabu knew it, too. He let a scowl cover his features as he glanced at the younger boy from the corner of his blue, blue eyes.

"We both know that ain't true. Not with the circumstances around her original disappearance, and sure as hell not with the state we found her in."

This time, Kenta turned his eyes over to look at the older shinobi. They slant in barely concealed warning at the jounin. Manabu was a much better shinobi than Kenta was, in practically every way. He was faster, _much faster_ , stronger, more durable, and so much smarter than Kenta. The lie about Kenta being so much better than him at ninjutsu was just that - a lie. The older shinobi was just too old to be wasting his chakra storage on training a child when he could be called away at any second to use his chakra for the sake of the village, or the sake of the Clan.

"You know we aren't supposed to be speaking about that, Manabu-san," Kenta warns in a faux pleasant tone. He lets his barely there smile slip into something sharper, and Manabu turns to glare at the boy. His chakra broils inside of him, recognizing when Manabu considers something a threat and is preparing itself to be used as a weapon.

"I haven't spoken a word of it to the girl yet, you think I'm dumb enough to let it spill now?" Manabu growls out, irritated that the young boy beside him who didn't compare to even a sliver of his power would dare threaten him like this. Kenta simply smiles, and Manabu wants to wipe it off of his threateningly pleasant face. Preferably with a sharp blade.

"I've seen enough in my time as a shinobi to recognize a memory altering seal, kid."

And then the atmosphere in the air is different, because suddenly there's a blade in Manabu's hand and it's at Kenta's throat even as Kenta holds a handful of senbon against Manabu's jugular.

"You're _nowhere near_ being at a high enough threat level to be threatening me, kid," Manabu hisses out, inches away from Kenta's face. He's tall, taller than the kid is, and leans down as his eyes narrow in a threatening manner. His lip curls back into a snarl, showing off his sharp canines. Kenta's smile slips from his face altogether and he lifts his head to meet the man's eyes head on, controlling his breathing to not show the fear he was definitely feeling.

They both know who would win if they really got down to a fight. Kenta was not looking good in this situation, no matter how it went down.

So instead he lets his hand full of senbon settle just an inch lower than the man's jugular, to show him that he knows he wasn't much of a threat in this situation and to hopefully offset any threatening actions the older, more experienced shinobi might take against him. He lifts his eyes to stare unflinchingly back into the man's eyes, and speaks in a low, quiet tone for just the two of them to hear,

"I'm not _threatening_ you, Manabu-san." He lets a serene smile that he knows will anger the older man color his features. "I am merely warning you. I am not the only person here who would be... _upset_ at you if you revealed the truth to the young Keiko-sama."

Kenta is a skilled sensor, even if it was not his main aspect he was known for in his line of work, but he is skilled nonetheless. He can _feel_ Manabu's chakra getting rowdy as the older shinobi considers whether this was cause enough to use lethal force or not. Kenta knows the man would gladly use lethal force against him even if there was no cause for it, and it was the sole reason he allowed his eyes to lower from his.

Manabu radiates smug satisfaction at the sign of submission, and he is the first to lower his weapon. Kenta stuffs his senbon back into the designated slots of cloth inside of his yukatas sleeves, meticulously running his hands over each and every strand of metal for comfort. Manabu puts his short blade back into the sheath on his right hip and takes a step back. Kenta does the same, recognizing that he's lost this time around.

"Kazuhiko-sama is keeping close tabs on you, Manabu-san. He will know if you reveal what has been kept secret for a reason. This is my only warning to you."

Manabu scowls once more at the younger shinobi's calm, quiet voice. He nods his head once either way, and turns on his heel.

He sees the younger boy's face clear, then a calm smile spreads across his face once more, and Manabu can see the young Shimizu Heiress running towards them once more, a smile on her face as she carries the picnic basket full of water bottles over to the two shinobi.

"Hey! So, I know you said to get _my_ water canteen, but I figured I'd just bring it all 'cuz I don't know how much water it'll use or how many times we gotta use it, so I hope you don't mind Kenta-sensei," she called as she neared, slightly out of breath from running back and forth. Manabu can't stand the soft smile on the boy's face. Not serene, not fake, and not threatening, but _soft._ He briefly wonders exactly the kind of relationship the young Heiress and the young Shinobi have with each other to cause such a reaction from the older boy.

Then he shakes his head of short, dark hair, and gives the young girl a gruff smile before shunshining away.

He'd leave the kid to take care of the girl. For now, he had a Clan Head and old friend to speak to about a certain Branch member.

* * *

"So, how does this work, exactly?" Rae asks, fidgeting with the water canteen in her hands. She was standing beside a long river just on the outskirts of her Clan's walls, looking down at the reflection of herself and the reflection of the older boy beside her.

After Manabu-sensei gave Rae a smile and disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves earlier, Kenta had dragged her over to the river, walking a regular pace instead of the usual chakra-enhanced running that Manabu-sensei had always had her doing when traveling long distances. She guessed it had something to do with the fact that she would be needing her chakra to do the water jutsus he would be teaching her today.

Kenta was standing about a foot away from her, standing as tall and as graceful as ever, and he, too, is looking down at the reflection in the water. She pauses, and takes a closer look at the older boy beside her. His posture was rigid, and he was staring down not into the reflection, but _through_ it, as if he was looking at his own thoughts and not anything she could see with him. His face was not just the same serene smile she saw on him all the time, it was carefully blank. There was turmoil in his deep, ocean blue eyes, and Rae's brows furrow. What was he thinking about...?

Then his eyes glance over at her own reflection and sees her staring at him, and the blank mask is gone and replaced by the usual small smile. She wanted to scowl, because she knew it was a fake one, a fake smile he had not used on her in a long time ever since she had told him not to lie to her like that. Instead of scowling, she just looks at him in a worried curiosity.

"Is everything-"

"Fill your mouth with water, Kei-sama, and we can begin."

She pauses, mouth still open from her unfinished question. She blinks at him, then finally lets a scowl color her features, but turns back to her own reflection and does as she is told anyway. She opens her canteen's lid and tips it up at her lips, taking a mouthful of water so she could begin the jutsu learning process. Even if she thinks he's only telling her to fill her mouth so she would stop asking questions.

Once her mouth was full of cold water, she turns to him with a questioning look. He smiles back at her.

"What was that? I'm sorry, I can't hear you, Kei-sama!"

She leans forward and spits the mouthful of water out at him. It doesn't reach far, but he dances out of her range anyway, laughing all the while.

It takes another ten minutes or so to get Kenta to act serious about training her some new water jutsu, and it takes a few more mouthfuls of water spat out at him, but he eventually settles back down in the same position as before. Only, this time, he has both hands held up in a hand sign Rae doesn't recognize, and tells her to follow suit.

With her mouth full of water, of course.

When she copies the hand sign, Kenta begins speaking to her to explain what it was for and what to do next.

"This is the hand sign for Tiger, the first sign needed to create this jutsu. Now, in the future, if you practice enough you can get down to only needing one or two hand signs, perhaps even none if you're as skilled with your hand signs as some of the Jounin I've met are." He moves his hands into another sign, and Rae copies it. "This is Ox. It's more difficult than Tiger, I know, but you'll get used to making these signs quickly the more you practice with it. Then you do Tiger once again, and finally you do Rat. That is the four hand signs needed for the water bullet technique."

He moves through the two more hand signs, slow enough for Rae to copy it even though she wasn't molding her chakra just yet, and after the fourth hand sign he smiles at her, turns away to face a large boulder buried into the ground several feet away on the other side of the river, and takes a small breath in.

Then he releases it, and the boulder practically explodes from the force of the water jutsu he had spit out at it.

Rae takes a breath in to speak, mostly to say how _awesome_ that was even if it was kinda gross to puke out water, but she inhales some water and begins choking.

Kenta looks like he's honestly considering whether or not to help her out or let her die for her stupidity. In the end, he walks over and pats her harshly in the center of her back, and she spits out the water onto the ground and begins taking deep breaths in in order to regain her lost breath. He tiskes twice at her, shaking his head at the younger girl before opening his mouth because _of course he has to taunt her._

"Lesson number one, Kei-sama, is that you're supposed to spit it _out,_ not inhale it." She glares up at him even as she continues coughing to try to regain her breath, but he suddenly loses his smile and looks down at her with a serious expression. "In honesty, you're lucky you weren't molding your chakra at that point. If that had been a real water bullet instead of just a mouthful of water, you would have shot that _into_ your body. I don't think I have to tell you how bad that would have been for you, Kei-sama."

She didn't even have to look at the boulder he was gesturing to in order to lose the coloring in her face at the thought.

"But," she let out one final cough before standing up to her full height, only slightly bitter about the fact that she only came up to his shoulders. "But you inhaled before spitting it out?" She finished off weakly, looking up at him questioningly. Why hadn't his lungs exploded from the force of that water jutsu if it really was so dangerous to inhale?

He nodded, his face still serious as he explains further.

"Right, but I inhaled in order to collect the water and chakra mix to shoot out. You had already had both lungs full of air when you took in the mouthful of water, remember?" At her hesitant nod, he continued. "For future reference, Kei-sama, I recommend not taking a breath in when you're using a jutsu like that until the very end, when you're really ready to spit it out. If your lungs are already full of your chakra and water mix, then inhaling further will cause it to react as if you had shot it out, but it will shoot in the opposite direction and tear you apart from the inside out."

Rae takes a breath in to say something, pauses, feels her face lose all color, then shuts her mouth with an audible ' _click_ ' of her teeth and nods weakly.

"Hai, sensei."

His taunting smile finally returns, and he lets out a soft laugh.

"Good. Then try it again."

While she blanches at the thought of possibly messing up like that again, she nods and takes another mouthful of water, only this time simply letting the water slip into her mouth without pulling it in with air. She didn't want to accidentally inhale again.

Kenta took up his spot beside her, spread his legs shoulder-width apart, and repeated the hands signs, quietly this time. She copied them, molding her chakra with each hand sign as she copied his every move, and when she sees him take in a slight breath, she does the same.

She's almost shocked at the cold feeling that spreads through her body when she inhales. It might have been the feeling of her chakra surging throughout her entire body, as she recognizes the feeling from whenever she practiced holding things to her face or the palms of her hands. It's like an icy wave washing through her entire body, and she can't help the shiver that wracks her body as she exhales the breath she had held in.

The water flew from her lips, and while it didn't fly as far as Kenta's water bullet had, it still went far enough to reach the other side of the river and land halfway into the bark of a thick tree she had been focusing on. She let her shoulders go slack and her eyes go wide when bark flies from the impact, and she only stares for a moment longer before there's an idiotic, wide smile on her face, and she turns her smile at Kenta.

He looks as though he had expected her excitement at the technically complete jutsu, and he levels her with a simple smile as usual.

"I did it!"

He let his eyes close as his smile widens.

"You did _half_ of it."

It really wasn't his fault that he couldn't contain his laughter when her smile drops.

* * *

Kazuhiko is silent in the house as he works on Clan issues. He doesn't shuffle his papers around, or hum a tune he hadn't sung in years, despite his desperate want to do so. His first born son, and his third born child overall, was asleep in the room with him. His son, Jirouko Shimizu, was sound asleep in the man's lap, grasping onto the front of his long sleeved shirt as he drooled onto the front of his clothing.

It might have been slightly disgusting to get someone else's saliva onto his clothing that had been pristine and clean moments before, but he had suffered through this issue with two little girls. He could handle it once more for his only son.

So instead of grimacing or scowling, or moving the child so he wouldn't drool against one of his nicer shirts, he lets his pen drop onto the coffee table in front of the couch he was currently leaning back against, and he reaches one hand down to sooth back the messy tufts of blue hair on his son's head.

He lets a small smile color his features, something he didn't get to do often nowadays. His duties as the Shimizu Clan Head had turned him into a gruff, stern man from all the duties he accepted to be piled onto his shoulders when he was a younger boy. He had been Clan Head for a long time, and it had certainly taken its' toll on him. He rarely allowed himself the pleasure of a smile anymore, especially not after...

His hand stills over his son's head, simply resting atop his hair as the man's smile fights to slip away from his features.

He thinks of his daughters.

He thinks of his first daughter, Kamiko Shimizu. She had been such a sweet young girl when she was a child. She showed so much promise, so much _talent_ and skill. She was so sweet and kind and fair, and a lovely young lady. She looked just like her mother had in her younger years, and Kazuhiko almost got a headache from the amount of boys he had to chase away from his first daughter.

He thinks of how much he had prayed, when his wife Emiko had been pregnant, for their first child to be born strong in both mind and body. He had prayed every day for a strong Clan Heir to lead his own flesh and blood when he was gone.

He thinks of how much he regretted how cold he had been with her.

He had smiled when she was born, and had allowed himself to cradle the little white haired girl to his chest with a fond look in his eyes, but he knew he had to be tough on her for her to grow up as strong as the Clan needed. It hurt him, to be so cold and rough to his only child, his beautiful young daughter, but he convinced himself that he _needed_ to be that way with her. That his Clan needed a stern, powerful leader.

He thinks of how his prayers had come to fruition early on into the young girl's life. She was so strong, so powerful, it perplexed him. Yet despite the power she held in her hands, she was a sweet girl all the same. She wanted to be the sweet little girl everyone loved. She wanted to go out of her way to help anyone who needed it, and smiled for those who couldn't smile for themselves.

He thinks of how she couldn't do any of that. He thinks of how his cold attitude to her had made her stern and cold as she grew up. She was still as kind as she could get away with being under the Clan's watchful gaze, but her smiles were far and few between. She developed her own technique in the midst of the Third Shinobi War, while on the battlefield. She came back, no older than seven years of age, covered in blood and guts, dubbed an A-ranked threat by the shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Clouds. She came back bloody and bruised and battered, and titled the White Flame. The little girl with stark white hair that burned everything that got in her way to the ground. The little girl who gave mercy to no one and smiled for nobody.

Not until his second daughter had been born.

He did not make the same mistake he had made with his first daughter the second time around. He loved his first born daughter, yes, and he would give anything, even his own life, to make her happy, but she was so _cold._ Because of the Clan. Because of her duties as Clan Heir. Because of _him._

He did not pray for strength the second time around. He prayed for a kind heart.

His prayers were, yet again, answered soon. And he had seen something he had never expected to see in this lifetime.

Kamiko Shimizu, the White Flame, the A-ranked terror of the Leaf, the powerful kunoichi that brought the toughest of men to their knees and made the most powerful of shinobi beg for mercy, _cried_ when her baby sister was born. She cried and she smiled and she laughed as she held the crying little girl with a mess of white hair that did not match any other female of the Clan.

And she would continue to laugh and smile for the little girl every day she was there with her. She was cold and drawn away to everyone else as she always was, but when she came home late at night with a bloodied sword and ocean blue eyes full of terror and misery, she would catch a glance of her baby sister, smiling and laughing the night away, and it all would vanish from her eyes as she held the little baby close to her chest.

Kazuhiko treated his second daughter differently than his first. Everybody noticed it, too. They all thought it was because he had such confidence in his eldest daughter that he did not feel the need to grow the second daughter into another Clan Heir if needed.

None of them thought it was perhaps because he was afraid of what he had forced his first born daughter into becoming.

He spent time with his second daughter, holding her when she reached out for his attention and personally teaching her to read and write instead of pawning her off onto a shinobi to teach her like he had with his eldest.

She saw. She watched. Kamiko Shimizu watched every day, the way her father coddled and adored the young child but became cold and withdrawn when she came around.

She did not hate her sister for it. Perhaps she hated her father. Perhaps she grew to hate her Clan, but never, not once did she ever frown or scowl at the little girl who smiled up at her and asked to be carried in her sister's arms.

And his second daughter grew to be as kind and sweet as he had prayed for her to become. She was not as strong as her older sister was, not even half as naturally talented as the White Flame had been born as. Kazuhiko did not care about that. He coddled and loved his second daughter every chance he could, and while he attempted to change his ways with his first daughter, she did not take well to it at all. She would nod and then politely excuse herself when her sister began wailing for attention, but she never once warmed up to him like his youngest daughter did.

He didn't expect her to. He told himself he deserved her hatred. He would bear the hatred of the powerful young girl he had forced into becoming what the Clan needed, even if it broke his heart every time she turned her icy blank stare to him. Even if he was afraid of what she had grown up to be. Even if he feared how she would lead the Clan after he was gone. Would she rule them with the same ice cold heart she forced her heart to be as she grew up, or would she care for their welfare as he had cared for them?

And then came his youngest daughter's sixth birthday, and the whole Clan got together to celebrate the little girl's birth date. She was all smiles and bubbly laughter than visibly lightened the Clan as a whole, she was what they had needed all along. Not what they _wanted,_ they had wanted a strong and powerful Heiress to rule them so they would not die on their own, but they had _needed_ someone like Keiko Shimizu. The sweet little girl with a mess of white hair and who went out of her way to make others smile and laugh with her.

It was only when Keiko's seventh birthday began creeping up on them that Kazuhiko began to worry about his eldest. Not once had she missed one of her younger sister's birthdays. She would find excuses to be sent back to the village when she knew her sister's birthday was coming up, a date she had burned into her memories along with the images of her smiling and laughing as she grew up.

Then, just weeks before his youngest daughter's seventh birthday, a Jounin shinobi who had been on Kamiko's team knocked on their door to deliver the news. They carried what little of Kamiko's belongings they could recover, limited only to the sword she had carried with her into battle, and the small, metal container with a single image of a baby with a shock of messy white hair and a bright, gummy smile reaching up towards something the picture did not contain.

His wife had cried at the sight of the metal sword cleaved into two by a much bigger, much stronger blade. She hadn't even listened as the young man stated the words that had been drilled into him when consulting a dead teammate's family. She didn't listen as the young man stated that she had died in the midst of battle, fighting until her last breath, and finally died at the age of seventeen. Kazuhiko had wanted to cry, but he stilled his face into a grim look of acceptance as he accepted the broken sword with his eldest daughter's name carved into the handle, stained with Cloud shinobi blood.

Keiko, his sweet little girl who could not harm a fly if she really wanted to, had sobbed into his arms for days. He could not do anything but hold her close to him, as if he thought she would run off and get herself killed in war just as his oldest had done.

His Clan suffered from the loss of their most powerful kunoichi and a promising Heiress. They went into an uproar, and immediately began demanding that Keiko's special treatment be ended and that they begin teaching her the same way Kamiko had been taught. He reverently denied their wishes. He had messed up the first time around by not being there for his daughter and for forcing a life style she did not deserve onto her. He would not, _could_ not, do the same thing to his sweet little bundle of happiness that warmed his heart every morning when she jumped into his bed to wake him and his mother, all smiles and laughter and messy hair they could never tame.

Three years passed like that, with him distancing himself further and further from his only living child left due to the Clan's insistence to deny the little girl the childhood she deserved. The childhood he should have given to his eldest.

He could not believe what he was hearing when he was given the news that his daughter had been kidnapped from his home. _His home,_ and her very own bedroom. She had been snatched right out of her bed in the middle of the night, the one place she should never fear being due to how it was in the very center of their Clan compound. She should have felt so safe to have been alone in the house without a single guard or watcher. To learn that she had been taken in the middle of the night a little after she had turned eight years old...

It made his blood boil. He felt rage. He felt anger. He felt the need to _kill the person who did this to them._

Most of all, however, he felt fear. Not her. Not Keiko. Not again. _Not another one._

Every able bodied shinobi inside the Clan had been sent out to search for her. The Fourth Hokage, who had still been around at that time with a very pregnant wife, had agreed to help him and had sent out teams of shinobi to track down the missing little girl. Other Clans were wise enough to protect their children ten times as stronger as they had been before. Tensions ran high when the Hyuuga Clan began demanding to know why a Clan Heir had been able to be kidnapped from her own home in the middle of the one place they were all told they could sleep peacefully at night knowing that they would be protected.

Only they weren't protected. They couldn't sleep peacefully, not after his own daughter had been taken from her own bed. He had wanted to get in on it, too, to start yelling and causing a ruckus at the Fourth Hokage when he could not provide an answer for who had stolen his little girl, but then he thought of how close the Fourth had been to Kamiko, his first daughter, and how much she entrusted her life to him. She had warmed up to the older man almost as much as she had warmed up to Keiko. So he let his anger simmer in the dark, and he never brought forth his own thoughts on the issue. If Kamiko, the strong, wise, powerful girl, had trusted him with her life, then he would begrudgingly trust him as well.

And then the village's Clans began slowly showing their strength, trying to make themselves appear stronger in the fear that another of their children would be kidnapped. Kazuhiko's wife became pregnant with their third child. All of this in a single year, and he had not once seen hide nor hair of his little girl. Then the Third Hokage took over the situation in an attempt to calm everybody down, and his first son was born, and he could not bring himself to smile at the little boy. Not when he could only think of how he had failed a second time, and would likely fail a third time.

Then, when his first son was three months old, a miracle.

Keiko came back home.

But she did not return as Keiko. He could only take one look at the cold, distant look in her deep blue eyes that mixed with splotches of red, and he knew. This was not his Keiko. It might have been his daughter in a purely scientific, biological sense, but she was not the little girl he had raised and spoiled with love and attention. It was not the little girl that his eldest daughter lived for, the reason she came back after being deployed to fight in a war she did not belong in.

 _What happened to her eyes?_

Kazuhiko was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the front door to his living abode slam shut. There was quiet shuffling in the room by the front door as someone stomped their way into the house. His son fidgeted in his arms and began looking around the room with wary deep blue eyes for what had startled him from his peaceful slumber.

Wet footsteps stomped through the house until Kazuhiko's youngest daughter came into view, a prominent scowl on her features as she mutters under her breath about something or another. She was sopping wet, head to toe in water, probably cold water if the way she was shivering under it all was anything to go by. She was about to stomp past the living room where her father and her baby brother alike both sat staring at her with wide blue eyes, but paused and turned to look at them right before she began walking up the stairs. She blinked once, taking in the scene. Then the scowl is gone from her face and she comes over to the two of them, bending down to pluck Jirouko off of Kazuhiko's chest. The baby boy smiles and reaches his chubby arms around his sister's neck approvingly, not once bothered by the cold water across her clothing.

"Hey, tou-san," she speaks curtly, then turns on her heel and walks up the stairs to go shower and change into warmer clothes.

Kazuhiko doesn't miss the warm smile she gives her baby brother on the way up, or the way the little boy lets out a plethora of giggles from when she poked him on the tip of his nose with her index finger.

Nor does he miss the ache in his heart from the resemblance of a time from long ago.

He can only cradle his head in his hands and hope, and _pray,_ it does not turn out the same.

Not again.

* * *

((A/N: So, uh, ta-da! Double update. I'm surprised I could write this all in one day lmao. This chapter is a little over 6.7k words, too, so it's just as super duper long as the last one (also not as long bc the last one was even longer wow golly gosh).

I hope I gave you all feels! And a few answers! And even more questions!

Question, because both chapters need a question in them, even if it was a double update and this could all technically count as one super duper _duper_ long chapter!: What do you think about Kamiko? You don't have to go indepth or start picking apart what little information I've given to you about her, but tell me what you think about her character, about who she was, about her relationships and whatnot. I just wanna know how you think I've written her as.

See you next time I update!))


	22. Birthday Morning

((A/N: I like how I keep saying 'dont expect any chapters for a while bc im moving right now' and then I keep updating. I think it's probably because of the pressure of moving that I'm getting so much motivation to write. I'm just avoiding literally everything else atm. Oh well.

There's a lot of shipping going on at my tumblr right now and I have so many new otps because of you jerks how am I supposed to choose a final pairing now, how could you all do this to me. Older!Rae/Kakashi, Kenta/Rae(which is becoming quite popular for some reason?), then there's the ever present Itachi/Rae too? I love them all I am shipping trash how could you do this

Either way, thank you guys for the kind words and all the attention you've been giving me over the past year! In fact, in just two more months, this story will be a whole year old! Isn't that cool? You guys are amazing. You're making me emotional over fanfiction. Ugh. Responses to reviews!

May525- Eeehhh, that's a good guess, but no that's not it. It is, however, the first guess I've gotten for the White Fire technique so far. I can't wait for you to see what the technique actually is, because it's so simple and yet so difficult and I can't wait to get started on describing it in detail? I'm a nerd for ninjutsu apparently

lostfeather1- I assume you mean she lived for Keiko, not Emiko? Either way it doesn't matter, I know how difficult it can be to keep up with all the names lol. It certainly seems like Kazuhiko has fucked up a second time, doesn't it? And now I don't think he really has it in him to fix his mistake for his third child. You, my friend, have no mercy for the old man! I like your style! Also, the phrase 'the children are blameless' is super true. Poor babies in a world full of pain. They deserve better. Unfortunately I'm a mean writer and I'm in charge of their lives (((:

This chapter is mostly fun and lighthearted to combat the previous dark, boding chapters, so a lot of it is just humor and fluff between characters. Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Waking up, Rae's bleary blue eyes glanced around her room curiously. Sunlight shone through the windows and through the patterned curtains, causing a beautiful image of checkered sunlight to pass through and decorate her room.

Rae blinked. She turned her head and looked at the window. Sunlight was streaming in.

Why? She had always woken up at five in the morning due to her newest training schedule, and it was cold enough nowadays that it never got sunny out until at least seven in the morning. With one last confused glance out her window, she sat up in her bed. The soft grey shirt she wore to bed was warm enough to be uncomfortable in the hot sunlight landing across her body in the warm comforter bed.

She was already awake, both in the physical sense and in the mental sense. Her mind was sharp and clear as she thinks, looking down at her hands without really _seeing_ her hands.

Why is it so late? It's only been a little over one week, eight days to be exact, since when Kenta was first revealed to be her newest sensei in training. Today was the ninth day in their new schedule, and she was supposed to be training with Manabu-sensei today and tomorrow, then three days with Kenta.

She closes her eyes and sends a small trickle of chakra into her ears, a small trick she learned from Kenta during one of their training sessions. He'd taught her that she could make her five senses better by sending a small amount of chakra to it slowly. The small feed of chakra was barely noticeable even to talented sensors, too, so it was a trick that a lot of talented spies liked to use on their missions to not be noticed in their spying tasks.

She hears a small shuffling noise from downstairs of her house, and she recognizes it as her father's footsteps pacing back and forth. It wasn't a sound she heard often, but she'd heard it just often enough to recognize it now. Judging by where the noises were coming from, he was in the kitchen right now, pacing up and down between the kitchen counter and the cabinets on the other side of the room.

Feeding just a bit more chakra into her ears than before, her sense of hearing is momentarily heightened even further and she can suddenly hear voices. Quiet, whispered, and quick, but they were there.

Now, another small spy tip she had been taught by Kenta was never to feed _too much_ chakra into one of your senses. At a certain level, any sensor worth their salt would be able to realize what was going on if you used too much of it at one time, but he also told her it could be damaging to her senses if she ever used far too much chakra into one sense. He'd told her it would strain the sense and had a chance to damage it if too much energy was used to fast.

So she covered her eyes with her small hands to make the peachy color behind her eyelids go away - it helped her focus to be in complete darkness - and sent the slightest bit of chakra into her ears once again. It was a small amount, and a slow enough feed to not have any long lasting consequences. At most, her hearing would feel weird for just a minute or two after she shut it off. She'd most likely be in the shower by then, so she didn't think it mattered.

Then she heard Manabu-sensei's voice downstairs, whispering harshly to her father, and Rae is rethinking the idea of going to the shower first.

She bends down over her hands, furthering the darkness underneath her closed eyelids, and focuses.

" _No, it's-"_

 _"Does it matter what in the hell it is or isn't?"_ Rae's brows furrowed under her hands at the hiss of anger coming from her sensei's mouth. Not many people could get away with cutting off her father, not only was he an intimidating figure in his own right and a jounin of the Leaf, but he was also the Shimizu Clan Head.

 _"Yes! It absolutely does! She's_ my _daughter, and I will decide what she needs to know!"_

 _"Then you have your damn priorities backwards, Kazuhiko!"_

There was a heavy, gruff sigh that Rae recognized as Manabu-sensei getting agitated. Usually when he got upset with her, he just admit defeat simply to get the whole ordeal over with.

 _"Listen, Kazuhiko. I know you want to protect her, but there is a fine line between protecting someone and controlling them."_

There was more shuffling, and Rae recognized the footsteps of her father, drawing nearer to where she heard Manabu-sensei's voice at.

 _"I am doing what I can for my family, Manabu! It's all I can do! Please-"_

 _"If that's all you can do then you have no hope for her future!"_

 _"I am trying! It's-"_

 _"It's NOT ENOUGH!"_

Rae flinched only slightly in her bed when she heard a hand slam down onto a kitchen counter. She knew it was only that loud to her because of how advanced her hearing was at the moment, and that it was probably quiet enough for her to not be able to hear if she weren't spying on the two of them.

 _"Tell her the truth. She can handle it, I've seen what the girl is capable of, and she is more than capable of doing this."_

 _"I won't. She can not handle it, not the same way Kamiko could! The White Fire technique is not-"_

"It's not very nice to spy on people, Kei-sama."

Rae bit back a scream of surprise at the smooth voice right next to her ear, much, _much_ louder than it should be because of the chakra in her ears. She fought back the urge to cut off all the chakra to her ears, knowing shutting it off so quickly like that would damage her ears. So instead she let the small amount of chakra trickle out slowly in order to preserve her hearing in the long run.

She still fell out of the bed, though.

Letting out a quiet 'oof' when he rear and elbows made contact with the hardwood floor, she glanced up with wide blue eyes at the person the voice belonged to. Then she scowled.

"What the hell, Kenta."

He smiled prettily.

"You were eavesdropping, Kei-sama."

"Yeah, something _you_ taught me!"

"Which is precisely why I can't allow you to get caught doing so. It'll put my abilities as a master spy to shame!"

Her scowl only deepened. Then she let out a heavy sigh and just settled for a simple frown as she leaned up to rest against the palms of her hands and not her hurt elbows.

Then she blinked, and paused. She looked back up at Kenta's face, then down at the clothing he was wearing. Kenta was always wearing the gray and blue yukata she had met him in, she honestly had to wonder if it was the only clothing he owned or if her had a full closet full of them. Now, however, he was wearing more casual wear.

He wore a black kimono jacket with ice blue flower patterns over what appeared to be a simple light blue t-shirt underneath. The jacket was tied by a black and blue sash over his abdomen, and the jacket itself went midway down his thighs. There was a small patch of white cloth stitched into the shape of the Clan emblem on the side of his plain, dark pants that ended openly against his shins. He wasn't wearing any shoes and was instead barefoot, and she knew it was because of the fact that he didn't have any house slippers to wear inside because he wasn't a very frequent visitor.

She blinked one more time.

"What are you wearing?" She finally blurts out, and immediately wonders if maybe that sounded a little mean. It really didn't look bad on him, quite the contrary. The outfit really looked nice with the dark blue of his hair and eyes, and she wondered if maybe black and blue would look good on every man of the Shimizu Clan.

Kenta smiles, stuffing his hands into the folds of his kimono jacket's sleeves, which were still long enough to hide his hands. She wondered if he was just uncomfortable not having anything to do with his hands, or if maybe there was another reason for always hiding them away.

"Do you not like my outfit?" He asks instead of answering her question, and she purses her lips at his deflection. If he hadn't been teaching her little spy skills he had picked up while he was training her for water ninjutsus, she would have fallen for a lot of his little tricks. He had once commented about how perhaps he should stop teaching her about spy tricks if it meant she stopped falling for his tricks, but he never did stop.

She sniffs and looks off to the side, her white hair bobbing in the messy bun she had left up as she slept.

"You don't look as absolutely horrible as you usually do, I guess."

He lets out a quiet chuckle, and she lifts her hands to free her long white hair from the hair tie she was currently wearing.

"Well, it is your birthday."

At that, she finally pauses. Then she whips her head around to stare at him with wide, confused eyes, not even bothering to look abashed when her now free hair follows the movement and falls over her face in messy waves. He has a gentle smile on his face like he always does, but it gives nothing away. She isn't entirely certain whether it's a real smile or not, and she wonders if any of the smiles she's ever given her have been real now that she knows much more about his career as a spy than she did before. But she shakes those thoughts from her mind and returns to the conversation at hand.

"What? No it's isn't. It's only July right now." She flicks the hair tie off to the side, not bothering to watch where it lands. She'll pick it up later.

The smile doesn't slip from his features, though it does take on a slightly sadder tone to it. He dropped his hands so they were no longer folded in the sleeves of his dark jacket, but were instead clasped firmly in front of him.

"I was warned you might not remember. Today is July 19th, the day you were born."

"Oh."

Kenta is silent for a long moment, and Rae looks down at her lap in that silent time. She had once told herself that her birthday would be August 12th, due to it being the day she had been found in the deserts of Suna. However, not only had she not even been in Suna for long enough for that to come to fruition, but she also let the entire thing slip from her mind in all the chaos of moving homes. Her birthday really wasn't something she was emotionally connected to or had trouble adapting to like her name was.

" _Oh._ Cool. So, I'm ten now?"

Kenta's smile returned and lost its' sad edge, and he nodded.

"Yes. Ten years old as of today."

She grinned. "Sweet! I'm not six years younger than you now, sucker."

They both knew the fault in that logic, and while there were so many things Kenta could have said to make fun of her terrible thought process or mock her intelligence, he simply laughed and nodded again.

"Right... until I turn sixteen in three months, that is."

She groans.

Kenta steps forward, having been standing in the doorway since his abrupt arrival behind her, and sits on the edge of her comforter. He leans over the other side of the bed and holds out a hand for the younger girl to take hold on. She doesn't even hesitate before grasping his slender hand in her smaller ones. When he pulls her up, she sits cross legged on the bed, hugging her pillow to her chest and wrapping both arms around it as she glanced at the older boy in front of her curiously.

"So, what, you're here to wish me a happy birthday?"

He glances back at her, then copies her pose and lifts his bare feet to sit cross legged on her bed as well. He runs one hand over the hair on the side of his head, brushing a few stray strands of dark blue hair back behind his ear, ignoring it when it was too short and fell back in his face again. Rae eyes the small ponytail he wore in the back of his head, just barely long enough to be tied back.

"No, actually. I'm here to take you to the Uchiha Compound. Mikoto-sama knows today is your tenth birthday and has requested for you to attend a small gathering in your honor."

Rae flicks her eyes over to look into his, and she frowns at his formal tone.

Then she leans over and yanks the dark blue hair tie out of his hair, watching as his dark hair falls down over his shoulders in waves. He didn't look perplexed in the slightest bit, and Rae briefly wonders what it takes to really catch this guy off guard. She leans back and begins running her hands through her hair, intent on tying it up with his own hair tie.

"I guess it'd be kinda rude of me to not attend something that's all about me, huh?" She asks, tying her hair up into a high, tight ponytail. Then, she frowns in thought as she reaches up to touch the hair that's grown out longer than she'd intended for it to get. She would have to cut it before she could attend this 'gathering in her honor', if she was still intent on acting like a boy named Kei.

Kenta lets out a quiet laugh and runs his hand through his own hair, trying to smooth it down into the same style it used to be before it got long enough to tie back.

"That didn't stop you the first time around, though, did it, Kei-sama?"

She pauses in her thoughts for a moment in confusion, then startles as her face flushes red at what he was talking about. The day she was originally supposed to meet Itachi and Sasuke, and had instead run off through the back door and gone to meet Naruto.

"T-that doesn't count! That was a completely different scenario, and I was still new to Konoha, and I didn't even _know_ them, a-and I-"

Kenta only laughs harder at her beet red face. She reaches over and uses both hands to shove him off the side of her bed. He probably could have dodged it if he wanted to, or if he put any effort at all into it really, but he simply let her push him down. She squeaked when he grabbed onto her wrists and pulled her down with him.

He let out a quiet 'oof' when his back made contact with the hard, wooden floors. Rae wanted to cry when she landed beside him, her face smacking against the ground with a loud 'smack'. Everything is silent for a moment. Kenta, who was laying on his back with his legs still on the top of the bed, had one hand still gripping her wrist that had fallen onto his chest, and the other hand had flown to her forehead to protect her from hitting the ground too hard. She turned her head, not paying attention to his warm hand, and glared with as much force as she possibly could at the older boy. He just began snickering at her expression.

"Sorry," he spoke softly through his snickers, but they both knew it was a lie.

She closed her eyes and sighed in annoyance.

"How good are you at cutting hair?"

* * *

Rae's eye twitched and she closed them in exasperation.

The older boy behind her was doing an absolutely terrible job at hiding his amusement at her expression. He raises one hand up to cover his snickers, and he uses the other to shrug carelessly.

"What's the matter, Kei-sama? You don't like your new haircut? I cut it just the way you asked me to..."

She whirls on him, standing up fast enough that the chair she had been sitting on was knocked over and fell to the ground with a clatter, and she points one finger at him as she shouts,

"I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO ADD A BRIGHT PINK BOW!"

Kenta did a sort of snort-snicker that reminded Rae of Itachi when he was trying his hardest to hide his laughter, before he let go and full out laughed at the younger girl.

"But it- it looks so pretty on you!"

Rae scowled at the spy, then turned around and glared back into the reflection of the mirror in front of her. Kenta hadn't actually been half bad with the pair of scissors she had given him, and he _did_ cut it the way she had asked him to. She actually quite liked the new hair cut he had gifted her with.

Like before, the bangs on either side of her face were longer than the rest of her hair, and they reached just far enough to touch the tip of her collarbones. The rest of the hair had been cut just as short as it had been before she let it grow out all those months ago, barely long enough to grip. When she'd asked why he would want to cut it that short, he happily replied that having hair too short to grab was a plus on the battlefield. He ignored her witty retort about his own hair and waved it off with a grin. All in all, Rae really did like her new haircut.

The bright, sparkly pink bow he had pulled seemingly out of nowhere and used to tie her bangs back into a mock-ponytail on the back of her head, however, was not something she agreed on. At all.

Not that she disliked the color itself, of course. She was a firm believer that a girl can wear bright pink heels into battle and still come out on top if she really wanted to.

The way the bright pink clashed against her white hair and the dark colors of her usual training attire, however, made her want to punch something. Or someone.

Kenta, preferably.

She looked off to the side in her reflection, noticing with a deepening frown that the boy in question was still covering up his snickers with both hands, although they were much more controlled now. She wonders when he had gotten so comfortable around her. Don't get her wrong, she was glad the older boy was so open and honest around her, and she certainly preferred this openness to him lying to her, but she remembered a time when he was all polite words and fake smiles. Even recently he had been more formal than friendly, and most of his smiles seemed to be something that came naturally to him rather than something he did when he was genuinely happy.

Rae lets out a small huff, looking back at her hair. It really did look good. If only the long, thin bow in the back of her hair wasn't so bright.

"I am _not_ going to meet Itachi like this."

Kenta's chuckles died down and he peered at her curiously over his kimono jacket's sleeve. He narrowed his eyes and she was sure a grin was on his face again.

"Just Itachi-san, ne? Are you trying to impress the young Uchiha..?"

Rae knows he was just teasing her and attempting to get something out of her, but she couldn't help the red tint across her face. Kenta snickers again. She whirls on her heel and punches him in the gut.

His wheeze is satisfying.

* * *

" _Sasukeeeeee_!" Rae squeals in a loud voice, running towards the smaller Uchiha boy with her arms wide open and a bright grin on her features. The boy startles at the loud noise and his head whirls to face the voice, aiming his wide, frightened dark eyes at her. He looks like he's seen death itself.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke shouts out in a terrified voice, running for his brother. Itachi can only stare on in confusion and a sort of resigned wariness as his little brother pulls him forward to take the hug. Itachi, the kind, strong soul that he is, stands his ground when Rae barrels into him, letting out a quiet grunt as he attempts to not fall over with her newfound strength. It's not enough. The both of them fall over onto the ground, and Sasuke lets out a loud squeal when he almost gets squashed underneath them where he had been hiding behind his older brother.

Rae lets out an 'oof' when her face smacks into Itachi's chest as they fell, and quietly wonders why Kami hated her so much if this is the second time in the last two hours that she's fallen down onto another person.

Itachi lands with a quiet thud onto the wooden flooring of his home's front hallway leading to the outside door, one hand flying backwards to protect himself from hitting the back of his head onto the ground and the other leaning up to make sure his 'friend' didn't hurt herself either.

That would be the scene that Mikoto walked in on when she heard the loud thud. Her eldest son sprawled out onto the ground, one hand under his head in an almost relaxed position, and the other hand resting on the waist of a girl his age. A girl his age who was laying on top of him, straddling his stomach with her legs, both hands on his chest.

Sasuke, her youngest son, looked on at the scene in absolute horror.

Of course, Mikoto, being the kunoichi she was, had learned not to jump to conclusions too quickly. Especially considering she knew her eldest son like no one else did, and knew there was no way this was what most people would think it was. Looking at the shocked and slightly disgruntled look on the young girl and the embarrassed face on her eldest son, she could tell nearly instantly what had really happened here before she could arrive. She knew they must have fallen over and Itachi had only placed his hand on the girl to steady her, it was a common thing for shinobi to do when protecting a comrade from hitting something too hard.

Of course, she still put on a sly smile and let out a small chuckle at her oldest son's embarrassed face going a deeper shade of red when he knew his mother was there.

"My, my, shouldn't you two be waiting until you're older before you start getting into these kinds of things...?" She asked, mock scolding the two children. To her surprise, only her son looked embarrassed at what was going on. The younger girl on top of him looked up at Mikoto with a scowl and pursed lips, and despite the red spread across her face, she looked more angry at the situation than surprised.

"Yes, Mikoto-sama, I should wait until I'm eighteen before I trip over things. How foolish of me."

Mikoto has to fight hard to keep the laughter from bubbling out of her mouth at the bland, dead tone the girl uses. Itachi seems to have come back to his senses in that instance, and though she was sure he would want nothing more than to shove the girl off to the side and make a hasty retreat into his bedroom, he simply picks her right up off of him and places her down onto the ground beside him as he stands up. He brushes dust off of his clothing - imaginary dust, of course, because Mikoto was a good cleaner and would never stand for even a speck of dirt in her own home - with a blank face, even if it was still slightly red.

"I apologize, Kei-kun, for the inconvenience I have caused you."

Sasuke still looked horrified.

"No problem, Itachi-kun."

Mikoto's lips twitched.

The whole room goes silent then. It's not the kind of silence people were comfortable with, where they could sit in silence with a smile or read a book or have a nice nap. Itachi was trained well in the art of politics even at the young age of ten, but even he could not hide his discomfort in the way his eyes were constantly flicking back and forth at his mother and his younger brother.

Sasuke no longer looked as though he'd been to hell and back again. Instead, he looked like his time in hell made him into a war hardened criminal with no qualms of shedding blood. He was glaring right at Rae, hands clenched at his sides and face going red - not in embarrassment, though. More than likely out of anger, and maybe a small - _huge_ \- amount of jealousy. Rae kind of wonders if Sasuke might have the hots for his older brother.

Then she remembers he's only four years old and she mentally smacks herself in the face.

And then Sasuke comes over and attempts to punch her in the throat. He's too short for it, though, and just ends up punching her with all his four-year-old-fists might in the upper thigh. Rae likes to think she was strong in that moment and laughed at his petty attempt to cripple her. She wasn't. She didn't. She got crippled by the four year old.

When she's down on the ground, clutching her leg in both hands and gasping out dramatically - it might actually hurt like a damn dog, but she wouldn't let him know he got the better of her - Sasuke comes over and places one foot against her side, placing his hips on his sides. He turns to Itachi.

"I've saved your virtue, Nii-san!"

Mikoto levels a suspicious glare at the downed, white haired girl, who stops in her antics to facepalm and begins wondering how she would make the Uchiha woman believe that it wasn't her that taught Sasuke those words. Itachi lets out a quiet squeak, and, with as much dignity as he could possibly muster in those instances, turns around and flees further into the house. Probably never to be seen again, if he could help it.

That was the scene Kenta walked in on.

Carrying the picnic basket he had promised to bring - Rae begins to think he has a deep love for cooking, with how often he volunteers to make food for groups of people - in one hand, he looks down at the scene in front of him in curiosity, but lets a small smile overtake his features like it usually does.

Rae hates how he doesn't look perplexed in the slightest bit.

* * *

((A/N: Woot, lots of happy fun times! The next chapter will continue directly after this one, on the same day still, because a few important things _do_ happen on her tenth birthday. Including meeting a few new, ah, _interesting_ characters ;)

Question!: Uhh... I don't have a question for this chapter, I'm afraid...? I really have run out of questions haha. I'll think up some more by the next chapter, I assure you! In the mean time, just let me know whatever is on your mind about my story! Do you like my characters? Which one is your favorite so far? Any ships? Any things you want to see happen in the future? Just let loose my dudes, I guarantee it will make my day to see your thoughts!

See you next time around!))


	23. A New Proposal

((A/N: Guess who's back, back again, THWC's back, tell a friend-

Anyway. This pause probably didn't mean a whole lot to any of you tbh because I lose motivation often and can go a month or two without updating at all, so these few days or a week or two isn't much haha. Still, my family has moved now! We're in our new house already, and it's really great. I met my dad's parents too. But all of that is boring to you guys, so I'll get onto the review responses!

readthishit- One giant harem with lots of pretty boys, got it. I'll get right on it. Lmao but honestly, her Clan and her relationships is something I've been thinking about often since ever bringing up the idea of ships in the first place haha. However, one thing I was already certain with was that they probably wouldn't be too glad with Rae and Kenta ending up together. Imagine if Hiashi let Hinata sleep with one of the branch members of their clan. They're considered practically slaves or something, so they wouldn't be too glad with their heir being with one of them. I'm not saying Rae and Kenta can't end up together, but it really wouldn't be a pairing her clan would be exceptionally excited with. Being with the heir to the Uchiha clan though...

SameTBH- I love your username by dude. It's amazing. Anyway, yeah, thanks for the reminder. Whether the Uchiha Massacre will be happening or not isn't necessarily a secret, not an important one in my opinion anyway, but I'm not gonna tell you guys anyway just because it's fun to know you don't know the future of this story like I do :)

That's about it. I hope I got this chapter out soon enough for you guys! Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Rae doesn't need to hit something to show how uncomfortable she was with this entire situation.

Doesn't mean she wouldn't like to, though.

Her blue-red eyes closed in exasperation. They stay closed for just a moment, a small, infantile moment of absolute silence and peace and tranquility. And then she opens them again and suddenly there is a one year old child screaming in her face, a group of small Uchiha children running circles around her - no, seriously, they were running in a giant circle with her in the very center - and a tiny Sasuke smirking at her exasperation while simultaneously looking embarrassed about his mother's insistence to wipe the sweet sauce off his chin with her own napkins.

"I'm so sorry," Itachi whispered to her from where he sat beside her, close enough to whisper for her to ear but far away enough that the group of children were excluding him from their circle.

Rae turns her head slowly, very slowly, and gives the Uchiha Heir beside her the flattest, most deadpan look she can muster. Apparently it was a damn amazing one, as he cringed momentarily before he got his Uchiha Pride back and flattened his features down into a smooth, uncaring façade. She'd have to ask him to teach her that one, and soon. She might be good at the 'are you kidding me' faces, but she's never been too good at pretending to not care about something. Felt too much like lying to her. It'd still be cool to learn, though.

"Settle down everyone!" Rae nearly sags out of relief when she hears Mikoto speak those blessed words. That woman was a saint, bless her heart.

At once, the child screaming in her face stopped his unnecessary screaming - and seriously, what was he even screaming about, how did he continue for so long, does that boy even have a pair of lungs - and turned to look curiously at the Uchiha Matron. Said Matron gave him a chilling smile, one that spoke of very painful moments very soon if he didn't do as she said. He paled, and immediately jumped down from the table he had been standing on to reach the white haired girl's face. She was sitting down in front of the low table, but he was still short enough to have to stand on a table.

The children running circles around her also stopped in their antics, and were smart enough to leave the room after witnessing the silent threat's promise of pain between the two Uchiha.

She doesn't know where all those children came from, or who they were, or why they were brash enough to taunt the older girl just because they didn't look like they did. Especially considering Mikoto had been just around the corner when it began. Which makes Rae curious as to why it went on for so long, if she could have turned the corner and stopped it in an instant. Rae levels the older woman with a very unimpressed stare, to which she replies with a sweet, small smile as she sat in her own seat, directly across from her eldest son. Sasuke was sitting beside his mother on Itachi's other side, and there was a small pillow for Kenta to sit on off to Rae's other side.

She had realized earlier that it was a seat away from the table, but close enough for everyone to know that he was a part of whatever was going on here. He was being treated like a servant here, not like a friend. It made Rae curious as to his personal relationship with the Uchiha, but it also made her act accordingly.

Rae liked to test the limits and break a few rules from time to time, but there was a limit to how many times she felt the need to break the rules of how she should be acting around people she doesn't consider her own family.

Also, Fugaku Uchiha was staring her down across the table, next to where his wife was sitting. Rae guesses maybe it was his stare - or glare, she couldn't tell honestly - that was making her act like a clan Heir in this situation, if only just this once.

Why the older man had just been sitting back and watching all of that happen was beyond her. The children didn't even seem to care he was there in the first place, which leads her to believe they either didn't know who he was or was too young to just yet understand what it felt like to be metaphorically torn to shreds by someone's eyes, an experience Rae herself has had happen to her several times in her life. Especially after making people angry, but mostly it was by the older members of her own Clan, the kinds old enough to know when she was planning on running out the back door or planning on putting a bucket of wet paint over a doorway and leaving. There was certainly no way those children were not afraid of this man if they knew who he was, what kind of power he held.

Don't get her wrong, Rae loved to tempt and taunt the older people around her all she could do, but only enough that she could get away with if she didn't feel much like dying at the time. She was always careful not to anger anyone she _knew_ could kick her rear into shape in an instant as if she were nothing more than a pesky bug rather than a real, living human being.

So she was sitting with her back ram-rod straight, perfect seiza style that had somehow come naturally to her - _Keiko_ \- with her arms straight out in front of her, palms down flat on the ends of her knees. The semi-formal kimono she wore that had felt too formal moments before suddenly felt too informal under the older man's stern gaze. He hadn't even said anything after looking at her when she first appeared, one eye brow quirked slightly as he looked down at her outfit then up at her hair. She had been foolish enough to reach up and self consciously tug at the bow in her hair - still pink, unfortunately. The Uchiha Head had zeroed in on that visible weakness and then his face had smoothed down into a cool, emotionless mask that Rae really began to admire.

However, since then, he had sat down in front of her and had said absolutely nothing. Not when she followed suit, not when the rest of his family followed suit, not when the children came running around their table and screaming in Rae's face, and not when they had left either.

Mikoto, sweet, perfect Mikoto, took one look at the poor girl's face and decided somebody needed to break the ice.

"Isn't today your birthday, Kei-kun?" She asked, and Rae wanted to smooch the older woman for opening the line of dialogue. It gave her a reason to tear her eyes away from her husband's, and she instead focused on the woman. Rae let a small, polite smile cover her lightly painted lips - _Makeup._ She was wearing makeup. Granted, it was a very small amount of makeup, and it was simply a darker shade of pink than her lips usually were and a small coating of blush on her cheeks, finished off with the plain blue eyeshadow she was currently despising despite how it made her eyes look good.

"Yes, Mikoto-sama," something twitches in Fugaku's face at the honorific, "Today is my birthday."

She smiles. "How old are you today then?"

"I've turned ten years old."

Mikoto's smile changes. It's still there, the ever present small upturn of her lips never leaving, but it's no longer just a happy and kind smile. It seems sharper, like she were planning something. Or as if something has gone exactly according to one of her plans. Fugaku also looks interested suddenly, and if Mikoto's grin didn't set off alarms, then that certainly did. She hid the look of alarm as best as she could, but when Sasuke of all people looked curiously at her, she knew she couldn't hide it well.

"Ten years old, hm?" Fugaku finally asks, finally opens his mouth, finally _speaks._

She purses her lips, then offers a hesitant nod.

He nods as well, but it somehow seemed much more graceful than hers, much more final.

"Itachi has recently turned ten years of age as well."

Her mind is going into overdrive as she tries to figure out what the two of them were talking about. Yes, she turned ten today. Ten years go today she was born. Yes, Itachi is also ten years old. She doesn't know when his birthday is or when he had turned ten, but he had been ten before they met so it had to be at least four months ago. What did the two have in common? Were they really just trying to make conversation and she was simply overthinking it, or was it really something important she should be able to pick up on?

She turns to cast a helpless glance at Itachi. He looked confused, but slightly pale, as if he had a thought but didn't want it to end up being true.

"I believe the best age for omiai is when both participants are at least ten years, isn't it?" Fugaku asked, turning his head slightly to glance at his smiling wife. Mikoto nodded her head gracefully.

"Yes, dear, it is."

Rae stops thinking and simply furrows her brows, pouting openly. Screw formalities, she was confused as all hell. She looked over at Itachi again, no longer a sneaking glance but a full out head turn with a confused question on her features. He was now looking down at his hands, wide eyed and face red, but other than that looked no less for wear than he usually did. When he felt her stare, he swallowed thickly and his face turned even more red.

"Itachi-kun, dear, it's not nice to hide from her."

Itachi looks like he's torn between crying or wanting to curl up in a hole forever, so he simply looks up at Rae, meeting her questioning gaze. When he only saw the confusion on her face, he seemed to both tense in frustration and sag in relief at the same time. Somehow. Uchiha expressions were something to admire, really.

"I believe it would be best. What do you think about this idea, Kei-san?" Fugaku asks suddenly, turning to her with a questioning but calculating gaze on his features. Rae has no idea what to feel for the name and honorific he chose to call her by. On the one hand, Kei has become a name she almost accepts as much as she does with the name Rae, she has no problem when people decide to call her that. Plus it goes with the comment about her being a boy - a comment she knows Fugaku knows is a lie. She wouldn't keep it from him if she wanted to, not to mention Mikoto had already shared that tidbit of information with her husband before they sat down with each other earlier today.

On the other hand, something about it seems... off, to Rae. Almost as if he isn't really calling her by that name because he should or because it makes her feel better, but almost as if he's taunting her. Or something. Rae doesn't know why she thinks there are negative emotions with the way he said her name. She just does, and it puts her on edge more than she already was.

She gives one last, longing look at Itachi, who turns his head back to the table below him indignantly, and finally turns to talk to the Uchiha Clan Head.

"I'm afraid I don't know what this, ah, om-omi-"

"Omiai," Mikoto corrects her gently, taking a careful sip of her green tea.

"Yes," Rae nods minutely. "I don't know what... _omiai_ is, my apologies."

Fugaku seemed either pleased or angry at the news, but she couldn't tell which. He nods his head once, as if approving or agreeing, then opens his mouth to speak in the same deep tone he'd been using for the rest of the day.

"It makes sense, your disappearance happened to be around the time when you should have been introduced to such a part of your life as a Clan Heir."

Rae almost feels angry now. It's as if he was out right taunting her now, by specifically avoiding telling her what the single damn word meant. Slightly irritated, she let out a huff of a breath and felt the small strands of hair on the side of her face lift and fall with the air. She turns to glance at Kenta, still seated behind her very silent and very carefully looking down at the ground.

"What is it?" She asks simply. He closes his eyes.

"Arranged marriage," He replies just as simply.

She almost nods along, as if she suddenly understood everything, before she finally stops and _thinks_ about what in the hell he just said. There is a tense silence as she slowly, ever so slowly turns to look at the two Uchiha adults in front of her. Mikoto's smile looks a little apologetic, but at the same time very proud of something. Fugaku's face looked carefully blank, waiting for her to make the first move or say the first word.

"Ah-" she opens her mouth, lets out a quiet squeak that she would be embarrassed about later on, then shuts it again, her eyes going wide. "You want- you want me and Itachi...?" She trails off, voice slightly higher pitched, and she can see Itachi's carefully constructed mask of indifference he had created, shatter. Her face feels uncomfortably warm all of a sudden and she hopes that it isn't because her face was going red. Mikoto looked too pleased with herself as it was, she didn't need the older woman to have any more ammo for this conversation to continue on.

"Yes. Your father and I have spoken on the issue, and we believe-"

And then she isn't even surprised anymore. Her father went behind her back and decided her future for her, what a god damn _surprise._ Her face was still uncomfortably hot, but she loses all thoughts of marriage and embarrassment and something that niggles in the back of her mind and makes her chest warm for some reason, and suddenly she's very angry.

"I understand."

The Uchiha Clan Head looks a little ticked off for being so rudely interrupted, but Mikoto simply closes her eyes and looks understanding. Rae briefly wonders if perhaps Mikoto and Fugaku had been an arranged marriage and if maybe the older woman had felt the same way when she found out, but either way she didn't care at the moment. Rae stood up from her seat, hands clenched in the folds of her pretty blue and yellow and pink kimono.

"I'll be taking my leave now, thank you for having me."

She turns to leave, noticing that Kenta was no longer in his seat but was suddenly holding the front door open for her. She wanted to cast a thankful glance his way, but she felt so angry that she was afraid she might actually scare him off instead. He smiled anyway, as if he understood what she was trying to convey.

She had a man she needed to speak to about her future.

* * *

Itachi looked longingly at the seat beside him that was suddenly empty, still slightly warm from where the younger girl had been sitting in it for almost an hour and a half. He looks up at his brother, just to check how he was feeling about this all. He looked oddly contemplative, not at all the face Itachi had been expecting from his little brother. Helpless, he cast a look at his mother. She gave him a knowing smile and placed her hand on his father's arm. The man had a wry grin on his face, something Itachi didn't see often.

"I'm sorry we never told you before, Itachi-kun," His mother speaks gently, the pleasant smile still on her face. "But it was something your father and I decided long ago."

Itachi feels a little strangled at the news. Long ago? How long ago? When he was nine? When he was six? Before he was born? How long ago had they been playing a part in his future and never telling him about it? There was so many things Itachi wanted to say at that time, but he was a clever boy. He knew Clan regulations, the rules. The necessities. He's been becoming more and more the Clan Heir they've wanted for a long time each day. So he dutifully keeps his mouth shut, pressed into a firm line.

"Our clans are close, I'm sure you know," His father is the one to speak this time, and Itachi nods along like the good little boy his father has always told him to be. "They have been for a while now. We had originally planned for this to happen much sooner, for the last Clan Heir to marry to the Shimizu Clan Heiress, however... complications arose, and I'm afraid that simply isn't what had happened. Now, though, is the perfect time, with both of you nearly the same age and neither of you have been betrothed to anyone else."

Itachi nodded along delicately. Logically, it made sense. They were both Clan Heirs from powerful clans, and although the Uchiha Clan is much more feared and known than the Shimizu Clan, it wasn't simply because they had a hard time getting their name out there. It is because of the fact that nobody knew their name that made them so fierce - you can't defend yourself against an enemy you don't know of. The Shimizu have always been willing to come to the Uchiha's aid in the past, and though there were shaky reactions to their assistance, the Uchiha returned their help many times as well. Now, there was a chance to make this somewhat shaky alliance permanent. Through marriage. Yes, Itachi thinks, logically it makes sense and he can't argue with their theories.

Emotionally?

Emotionally, Itachi isn't sure what to feel. The girl is a strange one, this he knows very well. She was strange the first time they had met, when she had been holding his little brother hostage in a hug that he didn't enjoy and then had come up to him with such a serious expression and air to her, he had tensed in anticipation for a strike. He had legitimately believed she was about to hit him, or to insult him in some way. There was the glint of terror in her eyes he recognized.

Yes, she had terrorized him. Not the same way the enemies he had fought would terrorize him, for sure, but he was terrorized nonetheless. She had called him _cute,_ and then laughed when he knew his face had betrayed him when it got uncomfortably hot. So, in a fit of confusion and embarrassment, he had grabbed his omouto from the girls' arms, when she had choked more out of surprise than in actual pain from the little boy's punch, and ran from the house. His mother had been smiling at him when he ran past, so he didn't think she minded it much.

He'd known she had chased him down, and that she was intercepted by other Uchiha - Rika and Shisui, he recognized them. He felt momentarily guilty for pawning off the girl to Shisui, but knowing him, he would probably find her more entertaining than upsetting like he did. He didn't mind Rika and the girl to meet - except maybe the momentarily terrifying panic attack he had when thinking of Rika's brand of crazy and the new girl's brand of crazy mixing together.

Everything after that passed by in a blur - a blur he could remember in excruciating detail due to his memory and of course his eyes, but a blur nonetheless. Nothing else she had done around him mattered to him quite as much as her first impression did, except perhaps when she had pulled him aside almost a week later and had spilled everything to him. He had known, of course, that there were problems with her memory when they met. His mother had told him not to mention it around her, as it might have been something she was uncomfortable with it, or even upset by it all.

When the girl herself had pulled him away from the others, out into the deeper parts of the woods under the guise of practicing her kunai throwing with him. He had probably known all along if he had bothered to really think about it, that something was wrong with her. A few minutes into their tossing, however, she had interrupted him while he had been attempting to correct her form for the umpteenth time that day.

He had expected something, sure, but not for everything that followed. She'd started out slow, simply asking rhetorical questions and trying to get a feel for if she could trust him with whatever she felt she had needed to keep secret. He played along, for the curiosity if nothing else. When she started getting frustrated as she continued, he got confused. Then he really began listening, not just hearing.

She was a completely different person in his eyes after that.

She was no longer just the strange girl he didn't want to let his brother hang around for fear of what she may do to him. She was no longer just the strange little girl he had to be careful around so he didn't anger or scare her with memories of, well, missing memories. She was certainly not just the little girl he was forced to be around, not anymore.

He looked at her in a new light, and she was looking at him in a new light as well if the hopeful gaze in her eyes was anything to go by. She wanted to know if she could trust him. She wanted to know if he would accept her after knowing the truth - after knowing who she really was.

And when he accepted her, he had not expected the tears.

Now, though, now he was used to her odd mannerisms, and her way of speaking and doing things. However, just because he was _used_ to it was not the same as liking it. He knew this very well. He wasn't entirely certain how the girl viewed him, although he could guess well enough that she trusted him plenty for spilling her entire life that she could remember to him, but at the same time he wasn't entirely certain how he viewed the girl.

She was intelligent, and naturally talented. As a shinobi, she will have much talent, and he has no doubt she will become an amazing kunoichi one day.

As a person, he likes her personality. She is honest, and really it's more like she despises the lies than simply wanting to be honest. She was thoughtful, and though she wasn't the kindest person in the world when it came to people she didn't know or love, she could warm up to strangers to a surprising degree very quickly. She did her best in training, and he knows she started ninjutsu training two weeks ago or so. She was somewhat naturally talented with kunai as she was, but over the months he'd known her she's gotten so much better in such a short amount of time. Enough to intercept his kunai through the air without thinking about it.

Itachi is drawn away from his thoughts when one of the three voices speaks up from in front of him, and he's surprised that it was not his mother first.

"I think this is a great idea!" Sasuke shouts unnecessarily loud, raising both hands into the air. Their mother looks absolutely startled, and even their father looked momentarily stunted before he regains his composure.

"You do? Sasuke-kun, I thought you hated Kei-chan?" His mother asks gently, and Itachi does notice the small shift in the honorific she uses for the young girl. Of course, he understands it. Calling someone a young boy when they would be getting married - and wow, that word sends Itachi into another fit of _oh my Kami is this really happening_ \- soon would be... misleading.

Sasuke, however, shakes his head reverently, then lowers his hands to rest on top of the table in determined fists.

"Nee-san is fun! And she calls me cute! She's a great big sister!" He pounds his fists onto the table with each sentence, a funny little determined look on his features that makes Itachi want to coddle him like he deserves. He resists the urge of course, like he has done so many time in the last four and a half years, but it's still there in the back of his mind.

There's also the momentary panic he feels at Sasuke's words. He's _approving_ of this. He's approving of Itachi getting married with a girl he runs away from in fear every time she comes around.

Then again, Itachi knows his little brother better than his own parents do. He knows how much the younger boy loves and adores the older girl. Itachi knows, when Sasuke speaks of the girl at night before bed, that there is a fondness in his voice, and when he comments that she might be kind of good with her kunai or with her kata stances, he knows Itachi has a small case of adoring fan-boy in him for the girl. Even if it's small and undeniably hidden well, it's there. Underneath the underneath.

"Well, good," Mikoto speaks finally. "Then I suppose that means the only person left is Itachi-kun." The only person left who has yet to say that he approves of this, she means to say.

Then all three pairs of eyes on the other side of the table turn to look at him. He feels strangely put on the spot, and he swallows down the nervous reaction of fidgeting with his hands. He closes his dark eyes and lets out a quiet, almost nonexistent sigh. When he opens them again he has collected himself, and faces his father, the Uchiha Clan Head.

"I agree to this proposal, tou-sama."

* * *

((A/N: Oops? I literally did not plan this to happen it just popped into my head and I was like 'oh shit that sounds like fun'. Either way, this doesn't necessarily mean she's going to end up with him in the end. The Uchiha massacre, after all, is only two and a half years away in this story right now... 8)

Question!: If you could trade lives with any of my OCs, which one would it be and why? What would you do differently? What would you change?

Leave lots of reviews! Reviews are love! See you next time around!))


	24. Anger Management

((A/N: Whoop. I don't really have much to say here except wow? This story _shot_ up in stats while I've been away? Almost 100 reviews? Almost 200 followers? Almost 130 favorites? You guys are really neato, I love y'all. Responses to reviews!

Kejmur- hoo boy just looking at how long your review was made me grin lmao. Although you do bring up a lot of good points about the Shimizu Clan. Maybe they do notice it and can see how irritated she's getting, and they simply don't care? I mean, her father is trying, he really is and I almost feel like the bad guy here by making him be mean to Rae. Also ! When she blushes because Kenta brought up being prepared for Itachi, it wasn't really because she had a crush or anything. She was growing, and hormones are beginning to take hold of her mind yknow, so it was mostly just because Kenta was teasing her about a boy that made her face heat up. Although hey if anyone wants to believe it they can go right ahead. I don't mind it.

Shiroji IA- I'm glad you approve of it haha. I'm having a lot of fun taunting people with Rae and her relationships. Who is she gonna end up with? Who's gonna be her first relationship? Nobody knows! Not even me, that Itachi stuff was pulled right outta my ass tbh.

Moonacre BunBun- I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS! They're adorable? Thank you for the reviews on each chapter haha. I'm glad you like Naruto and his relationship with Jirouko! I love writing them so much :) I hope the fluff of chapter 15 didn't kill ya buddy.

I would just like to let you all know I can not write fight scenes whatsoever? And this entire chapter is one whole fight ? ? I hope this all makes sense to you. Let me know if you liked it or not.

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Rae isn't sure what she was expecting when she stomped all the way back to the river down by the Shimizu Clan, but it probably wasn't for Kenta to ready himself in a taijutsu stance in front of her.

She stops dead in her tracks, still fuming and now confused.

"What are you-"

"You're angry," Kenta interrupts her, still in the taijutsu stance. His feet were shoulder-width apart, one standing behind him and one in front, one hand raised up in front of his face to be level with his blue eyes, and the other hand was facing palm-out away from him by his side. There wasn't the same serene smile he always had on his features. Instead, his narrow eyes were slanted in concentration, watching her every move, waiting for her to do something.

Rae narrows her eyes and raises her hands, letting them drop back down onto the sides of her nice, semi-formal kimono with a huff of agitation.

"Gee, really? You must be a super genius, Kenta, to have spotted something like _that,_ " She bites out, and she doesn't mean for the amount of vicious poison to slip through into her tone, but she can't help it.

His head tilts down just slightly, somewhat like a nod.

"I don't think you should go home in this state, Kei-sama."

She opens her mouth to protest, to argue with him, but he holds up the hand by his side to silence her. She can't help but shut her mouth with a huff as he speaks.

"As angry as you are, I don't believe you intend to physically hurt your father. If you go home in the state that you are, you are bound to hurt him in some way if you do not calm down. I think the best way to calm you down would be to release some stress. In my experience, physical exhaustion is the best way to calm yourself down."

She knows it makes sense. Everything he said makes sense of course, he was a smart guy and he knew what was best for her most of the time. However, a deep part of her wanted to be angry. She didn't _want_ to let go of the frustration and anger in her gut. It made her feel something - something deep and dark and she probably shouldn't be feeling it, but she can't help it. She can't force that part of herself to go away. The part that thinks perhaps she _should_ go back to her house like this. Let her father deal with her anger. He certainly deserves it.

"Maybe he should get hurt," she hisses out, voicing what she had just been thinking about a second before. "Maybe he needs to be hurt to finally understand what the hell he's doing _wrong._ "

Kenta's blue eyes narrow at her with an emotion she can't quite place, but she doesn't have enough time to even think about it as Kenta is suddenly rushing forward at full speed.

She's just barely fast enough to bend backwards in time to dodge the strike aimed at her throat. She can feel the ends of his fingers graze the very tip of her chin as she bends back to avoid the hit. Unfortunately, in an attempt to correct herself, she overcorrects her pose and ends up flat on her rear, looking up at Kenta with a mix between bewilderment, awe, anger, and the pent up frustration still there. Still there.

"What the fuck?" She leans forward, ignoring the feeling of the muddy ground sloshing against the bottom of her kimono and her hands. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!" She plants one foot underneath herself, lifts herself onto one knee, and then jumps to add a bit of speed as she rushes forward to Kenta. He plants one foot into the ground, lowering himself slightly closer to the ground as he readies himself to take the hit head-on instead of turning and fleeing. He easily catches her clenched fist in one of his hands, and his other hands lowers to catch the other fist aimed at his stomach. He grips both hands so she can't pull away, and he begins speaking in a low, serious tone.

"What's wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with _you?_ " For just a moment, Rae is shocked, because that might just be the first time she has ever heard the older boy curse before. "Why do you allow them, time and time again, to get to you like this? If you hate them so much, then let them know by not letting them get to you! Tell them that they don't _matter_ to you, that nothing they could do could tighten their hold on your future! You are walking right into their traps and you're doing it with a god damn _smile,_ you idiot!"

Rae is silent for a moment, her body going slack for just a few seconds as she comprehends everything he's saying. Then she shakes her head, realizing she doesn't _care_ what he's saying. He's being an idiot, just like the rest of them are. It's unimportant.

Kenta's grip on her fists loosens slightly when she goes slack, and she takes that opening the second it appears. Releasing her fists in order to grip his own hands to make sure _he_ can't get away, she lunges forward and slams into his stomach and chest with her entire body, shoulder making contact with his solar plexus. He lets out a painful grunt and his feet skid back in the muddy ground, but he does not fall down. She pulls back one hand fast, rushing it forward not a single second later just to attempt to land a good hit on him. He's fast enough to reach upwards in an attempt to block her, but he's still out of breath and too disoriented to properly block her hit. She feels her clenched fist brush against the hand attempting to stop her, but it pushes past and she connects solidly with his left cheek.

He lets go of her other hand and jumps back, skidding back in the muddy ground a few feet before he finally stops. Rae does the same, jumping backward a few feet to put some distance between the two of them.

Kenta reaches one hand up to wipe away the small dribble of blood that had formed at the corner of his lips, and his eyes narrow dangerously at her. She's shaking in her anger, and she can't think of anything but how she's going to _beat him into the ground_.

They spend a moment sizing each other up. They'd been training with each other for weeks now, and they've known each other for months even before then, but only now are they really seeming to realize how much of a threat the other could really be if they wanted to. Kenta, the nearly master spy with years of missions under his belts, not to mention a single A-ranked mission he has yet to tell her about. He was considered a ninjutsu specialist, almost a ninjutsu master according to Manabu-sensei, and he had been hunting and killing since he was young. Then there was Rae, the young girl who seemed to pick up chakra and ninjutsu like nobody's business. She absorbed information like a sponge according to her senseis, and she had slowly been developing her own taijutsu style. It was nowhere near perfect or complete, but it was there, a style Kenta was completely unfamiliar with, as she only practiced taijutsu with Manabu-sensei on the off days.

Then the silence between the two is broken when Kenta brings his hands together in a seal she was all too familiar with. Her eyes narrow and she bends down, ready to jump in any direction. Once the small bullet of water passes through his lips, Rae jumps off to the right side quickly, keeping her eyes on the boy in front of her. He runs toward her while she's still landing, and she has just barely enough time to bring her hands up to block the brutal kick he aims at her head. He doesn't pause in his steps, however, and twist mid-air to aim a second kick to the head. Rae bends down to dodge the second one, placing one hand against the ground to brace herself. She reaches her other hand back and throws it forward, catching him in the thigh as he's landing. The momentary pain throws him off guard, and he stumbles in the mud. Unable to catch himself in time, Rae lifts one leg up and slams her knee into his back.

However, the moment her knee makes contact with his back, his entire form explodes. Water splashes over her form, and she has just a split second to realize that it was a water clone before Kenta is suddenly behind her. She doesn't know what he's going for, she can't see him, and she jumps forward in the hopes of dodging whatever it was he was going to throw at her. It was the wrong move. His longer legs catch her in the back easily, and she lets her mouth open in a surprised yelp of pain as she's sent flying across the field.

She flips over twice before she manages to flip herself onto her feet, and the moment she can hear again she knows the older boy is running towards her. She scowls, angry that she was so very obviously getting her rear handed to her, and jumps up onto her feet. She can't let him win like this - she's trained too hard to be taken down so easily like this.

Kenta's foot comes from her right, swinging towards her chest with a speed Rae can't hope to match. She brings her hands up, just barely able to catch it before it did any damage to her, and she already sees his hand coming in from her other side, ready to punch her across the cheek like she had done to him before. She grips his leg with both hands and _heaves,_ and she takes great pleasure in the surprise on the boy's face when she tosses him over her head. He only goes a few feet, but she's immensely proud of her strength now.

Then, while he's still in the air, she brings her hands together in one of the four seals she still needs to do the water bullet. She speeds through the four hand seals quickly, something Kenta himself had taught her to be quick with, and chakra courses through her body like a cold tsunami, overtaking her and freezing her inside and out. Then, the water bullet is flying through her lips before his feet touch the ground. She can't see exactly what happens - the water bullet gets deflected somehow. Water sprays up around the both of them, and there is a second, just a split second, where everything seems to go in slow motion. The water is falling slowly, and Rae tries to find the older boy, only to realize he's no longer in her direct line of sight. Then she sees the shadow, steadily getting bigger.

She jumps back first, and then looks up in the air. Kenta is falling, his hands together in a hand seal she can't really see, and he's inhaling a large breath. When had he done the hand signs? She doesn't recognize the jutsu he's using, and she readies herself for anything. There was no limit to what he might shoot at her.

When he exhales, she takes what she said back. She hadn't expected an _actual tsunami_ to pass through his lips. She squashes down the immediate thought of _how much water can he hold in there, shit,_ before she is reading her chakra for another jutsu.

The water jutsu she uses isn't anything fancy, and she isn't yet good enough to use water right out of the air, so she has to use the muddy water already on the ground. The water at her feet surges, and she wills it to rise, rise from the ground to surround her in a half-formed shield of muddy water. It's only big enough to just barely protect her from the brunt of the force from the waves of water, but her feet kept hit with such force that she winces at the stinging pain. The water was _freezing,_ and the force it had hit her with was enough to scratch up the lower parts of her legs. Her kimono rips at the ends, and she considers taking it off altogether to make this fight easier. She was wearing clothing underneath, of course.

The thought has no time to get anywhere, however, as Kenta is suddenly in front of her again, his hand cocked back and ready to be thrown forwards.

The two of them clash against each other, Rae's speed was no match for the older boys' so more often than not she found herself dodging or just barely being able to block his brutal hits. She has no doubt that her arms and legs were covered in bruises, and she was sure they would hurt like hell the next morning. However, it was obvious she wasn't _completely_ losing here. Kenta was sporting a few bruises on whatever skin she could see as well, not to mention the small cuts he had on his arms that he had gotten after she had successfully hit him with a slice of cold, hard water. Another jutsu he had taught her, which would explain why he could evade it so easily after the first hit, which she had only gotten because he had been too surprised to dodge it fully.

However, they were petty victories. Rae could feel the drain each small time jutsu brought her, and with each one she grew more and more exhausted. She stood on shaky feet on one side of the clearing, the ground was less like mud and dirt and more like mirky water now. Kenta, standing on the other end of the destroyed clearing, was using chakra to stand on top of the water that had swamped the clearing. Rae found that to be mildly cheating, since she didn't know how to do that yet, but she didn't voice her thoughts. Kenta was breathing slightly heavily as well - not as heavy as her, for sure, but enough to be noticeable even from as far away as she was.

Clearly, she couldn't keep using ninjutsu. Taijutsu was out, due to how much quicker Kenta was to her. None of her hits had ever really hit him, not too well at least. After the initial surprise of her strength, he had wisely kept his distance. Unfortunately, that meant he had thrown more jutsus her way. He had also used water clones another two times - Rae had to wonder how much chakra he had left. He didn't look as exhausted as she did, but she knew he was good at hiding how he really was. Hell, he could be perfectly fine right now and was only acting to make her lower her guard.

Rae takes a deep breath in, watching as Kenta tenses as he probably thinks she was readying another water jutsu, and lets it out slowly. She steadies herself as best as she can, switching her stance to something better on her quickly tiring body. She reaches back and slips her hand under the clasp to the top of her kimono, and with a small smirk despite the pain in her body, she rips the clothing off of her quickly. She is left standing in her form-fitting gray shirt she usually wore for training and black shorts. It's perfectly appropriate attire, of course, but Rae burns the image of Kenta's surprised, red face into her mind. She only has less than a split second to grin in victory at the idea that she finally, _finally_ caught the older boy off guard, before she is throwing herself forward at her full speed.

Once again, her speed is not enough to fully catch him off guard, but the earlier embarrassment he had felt was enough to make him momentarily slip on the top of the water. Just enough to let Rae slip into his defense, close enough to reach forward and slip her hand into his weapons holster at his side. He only seems to understand what's going on when she pulls back with a sharp kunai in her hands. He purses his lips in both annoyance and pride, and suddenly there is a handful of senbon in his hands. Rae fights the urge to go pale, and she jumps back quickly.

She'd never done senbon training with Kenta or Manabu-sensei, so she was entirely uncertain about the procedures to properly fight an opponent using senbon.

This time, Kenta is the first to take charge. He throws his hand back, and when it comes forward once more, Rae can see the multiple shiny pricks of metal flying at her. She rushes off to the side, knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge them all like that. She has barely enough time to realize that Kenta is no longer in the same spot he was in just a second ago, before she attempts to dodge or parry the second wave of senbon flying towards her person. She tries her best to ignore the sting of pain when she fails to dodge them all - one senbon buries itself an inch into her left shoulder, the second one burying itself into her upper thigh on the same side.

She feels more than sees when Kenta is beside her, a kunai in his hand instead of the senbon he had been using moments before. She has just enough intuition to lean backwards, hissing when the needle in her thigh makes the wound burn as she moves. Kenta's kunai comes racing forward at the same time, missing her throat by a few inches. Rae moves fast, faster than she thought she could, and strikes out with her own kunai - technically his, but whatever - in order to hit him in the shoulder. He moves just slightly, and she ends up cutting into his right arm instead, slicing off a bit of the cloth there. There is no wince on his features when the wound begins to bleed, but he does grab her wrist with his hand. He brings one knee up and slams it into her side, and Rae lets out a choked gasp at the pain.

He isn't finished, however, and he brings his wounded arm down onto her stomach.

She reaches out blindly with her other hand, trying to catch him with the kunai in her hands, but he jumps away from her then, apparently done with his barrage. Rae makes a move to follow after him, to continue her own assault, but she stumbles over her own feet and falls down onto her knees. She can't see Kenta anymore, facing the muddy, watery ground, but she can hear his feet splash the water as he shuffles in place. Rae's body is shaking, but she forces herself to stand up again. She barely manages to bring herself to her feet, but she finally stands, resting her hands heavily on her knees. She raises her head up, looking up through the white bangs that had fallen out of the make shift ponytail in the beginning of the fight, and glares at Kenta.

Or at one of the Kentas she could see. Her vision was kind of blurry. Even with blurry vision, however, she can see his ruffled appearance. He was still on guard, still tense and in an athletic pose that would allow him to jump or run into any direction at a moment's notice. His clothing, the black and blue kimono jacket with yellow accents that she had really liked, was torn in several places and was so muddy it almost looked like it was supposed to be brown. He was panting heavily now, almost as heavily as she was, and she felt momentarily felt proud of the several cuts and bruises across his form.

Then she doubled over and retched.

"Oh," Kenta says dumbly. Apparently he didn't know what happened when someone elbowed someone else in the gut with all their strength - and he really was strong, despite how tall and lanky he looked. He had been growing muscles on his form since they had met, and though she knew he was the type to have lean muscles as he leaned more towards speed than strength, it was still a lot of strength to the ten year old girl.

"Ew."

Rae snorts, and immediately regrets it when she tosses up her lunch once again.

"You're such-" she dry heaves, then spits out the disgusting tasting saliva in her mouth. "You're such a _baby._ "

She isn't looking at him, keeping her eyes closed as if it would help make the world stop spinning around her, but she knew him well enough to know he was either pouting or had the same stupid smile he always had on.

"You're the one that lost." Ah, yeah, he probably had a smile on.

"Lost?" She asks, a tint of confusion in her voice. She opens her eyes finally, and wow yeah that did look gross, and looks up at him with wide, incredulous eyes. "Hell no! That was a tie at best, pretty boy! I got a lot of good hits on you, too!"

He blinks, then raises his bruised hand to wipe the hair out of his eyes. It had fallen out of its' tight ponytail somewhere in the middle of the fight, just as Rae's had, and it was covered in mud and grass now. It reaches long enough to pass his shoulders, and she wonders how long he intends to let it get. Then Kenta grins. It wasn't the same serene, sly smiles he usually sent her. It wasn't a fake one either, like he had given so many others so many time. A full out grin, showing his white teeth and stretching up to his eyes, shone on his face, and something silently flutters in Rae's chest at the sight.

"You think I'm pretty?"

She throws the kunai at his face.

* * *

Kazuhiko looks down at the sight in front of him with wide, utterly confused blue eyes.

His youngest daughter, scowling up at him with pursed lips, and his daughter's bodyguard, eyes facing the ground with polite respect, were both covered in mud head to toe. His daughter wasn't wearing the same clothing she had left in two hours ago, and he squashed down the urge to ask her what happened to her clothing in favor of looking over her dirty form in confusion. It was obvious what had happened, of course. As a shinobi, he had had plenty of his own scuffles and spars with others, so he knew the signs when he saw the bruises, scratches, and torn, muddy clothing the moment it appeared to him.

However, he didn't know why the young boy was here as well.

Kazuhiko knows the boy was assigned as his teacher recently - he was a good, patient kid who could teach well. He had assigned the boy as his daughter's bodyguard months ago, because he knew how talented the boy was. He hadn't assigned him because of how powerful or well known he was, no. There were plenty of higher ranking shinobi with titles that many people feared that he could have assigned to her. He had told him to protect his daughter's life because the boy was _clever._ Other people could win a fight, but the boy in front of him was sly enough to _not be there_ _when the fight happened._

Now, he looked down in confusion when he saw that they were both in a spar. Together, apparently, if the small fist sized bruises on the boy's arms were anything to go by. Kazuhiko didn't even try to deny the pride he felt when he saw the fist-shaped bruise across the boy's face either. His daughter really was getting so much better with her studies these days, especially if she could go toe to toe with the young boy. He was fast, Kazuhiko knew from experience. He'd tested the boy's skills himself when they had met.

His daughter sniffed, and he returned his gaze to her. She wiped away some mud from her face, but it only smeared it further. Her hair was a muddy brown mess.

"You and me need to talk, tou-san."

Kazuhiko doesn't even feel surprised. He had definitely expected it when he had gotten the letter from the Uchiha Head about an arranged marriage. He'd told them, of course, how his daughter would definitely feel about an arranged marriage - hell, how she would feel about anything she couldn't control herself or that she was forced into - but they had seemed very adamant about it. He had seen no reason not to agree to it. It was supposed to happen before, with Kamiko. It was a promise he had made them, and one he wanted to keep.

He nodded his head gravely, still confused. This time, however, he was less confused about why they were covered in mud, and more confused about why she wasn't shouting. That, that had been what he was expecting. Shouting, angry yelling. Stomping her foot once or twice like the child she was. He had expected her to yell and accuse him and say something that would undeniably break his heart.

He hadn't expected her calm demand for a talk, and he hadn't expected her to toss her shoes behind her and walk into the house, calling a rough "I'm taking a shower," behind her as she walked off.

He kept his eyes on the other boy now that his daughter was gone.

"What happened?" He asked. The boy's eyes were still facing the ground politely, and Kazuhiko knew he was from the branch house from the way he acted around him alone.

He raises his eyes finally, and looked into the elder Shimizu man's eyes.

"She did not take the news of the omiai lightly. I issues a fight, in order to curb her anger. However, I," he looked mildly ashamed at this part. "I may have been rougher than I had intended. She threw up twice, and I believe it would be best for her to get something calming into her stomach before she goes to sleep tonight. I apologize." He bows lowly, very respectfully, and Kazuhiko hums as his eyes narrow.

He steps back from the door.

"Come in."

The boy wasn't experienced enough in his spy duties to keep the complete surprise off of his face at his words.

"Shimizu-sama?"

"If my daughter finds you worthy enough to bring home after hitting her hard enough to throw up," his voice gets a little dangerously low at those words, but they return back to normal easily enough. "Then she must care about you. Come in, you can have dinner with us tonight."

He blinks up at the man with wide, surprised eyes. He opens his mouth, and wisely speaks, "A-ah." He steps further into the house and kicks off his shoes, then turns and bows down to the older man once again. "I am Kenta Shimizu, thank you for having me."

Kazuhiko nods.

"You can wash yourself after Kei-chan is finished." The boy nods in understanding, then raises to his full height, which barely reaches Kazuhiko's chest, and steps into the house uncertainly. Kazuhiko closed the door behind the nervous, awkward boy.

Who was this boy to his daughter?

* * *

((A/N: Ta-da. There's probably only one more chapter after this one that takes place on Rae's tenth birthday, so it'll be wrapped up soon.

Also! Daddy Shimizu is nervous about a boy in Rae's life. What a Dad. Seriously. I had so much fun with this. This entire story is so much fun. You guys are great.

Question!: Where do you think Emiko has been these last few chapters? Hint hint: I haven't just been forgetting to add her. She's been busy with somethin', that's for sure :)

Leave reviews! Reviews are love! See you next time around!))


	25. Dinner and Conversation

((A/N: Let's get right into the chapter. Responses to reviews:

Cool- Thank you? You caught a massive mistake that I made. I messed up the timeline by saying that the Nine Tails attack happened while she was missing. That happened a few years before, and I hadn't even noticed that I messed that up. I'll go back and fix that as soon as I can. But for now, I will do a quick timeline for you: First, Keiko Shimizu is born. At four years old the Kyuubi attacks and Naruto is born. At six years old Kamiko Shimizu dies in the Third Shinobi War. At eight years old she gets kidnapped. She is missing for a total of 13 months(nobody knows where she is for roughly five months, then she's in Suna for eight months) and returns when she is nine years old. Then she turns ten, and you know the rest of the story.

Moonacre BunBun- I know right? Kenta is an innocent babe. Except maybe not so innocent? I haven't decided yet. Please don't scream at the wall. The wall didn't do anything to deserve this.

May525- Who knows, maybe him agreeing _is_ a part of his master plan to pull them apart? It's a mystery. Don't doubt the little booger, he's sly as all hell.

ren7720- whoops. sorry to disappoint again!

QuestGuest- I guess I accidentally created a perfect boy? Everybody seems to be in love with Kenta lol

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Rae washes herself rather quickly, but she winces and hisses at every sting and burn the cuts across her body caused with the hot water. She rinses herself off with the shower head, then begins drawing a bath to soak in for a few moments to calm her aching body.

Kenta had been right, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. The physical pain of the bruises and cuts across her delicate body calmed her down immensely. She had taken out her anger and frustration on the older boy during the fight. She knew she was fighting chakra exhaustion now, the way her eyelids got heavy told her as much. When she stepped into the minty green water, the hot water was both pleasurable to her aching muscles, and painful to the numerous bruises coating her body. She sinks down into the water and lets out a sigh of relief when she is sitting down, the water reaches up to her collar bones.

She lets her blue eyes slide shut, and she simply relaxes for a moment.

Yes, she was still angry. Kenta's fight had helped her feel better, for sure, and she had let go of a lot of the animosity she had been feeling to her father, but she was still angry. It still wasn't his life to control - it was hers. What right did he have to give her away like that? To let someone take her hand in marriage without her consent?

She trusted Itachi. She cared about Itachi. Not the way a wife should care for a husband, though. She didn't _love_ him, she didn't even _like_ him like that. Maybe. How would she truly know if she really liked someone like that? She was ten years old, for Kami's sake! She wasn't supposed to be deciding who she would be spending the rest of her life with. Not here, not now. Not in Konoha. She didn't want to live the rest of her life in Konoha.

She will admit she had let go of most of the anger she felt for the village. Yes, this place was not her home - it would never be her home. She had friends here, and she did have family. A little brother she loved dearly. However, instead of deciding to stay here in Konoha forever, she felt more like she should pack Jirouko up and take him to Suna with her when she left.

And she would leave. This was not her home, and everyone here besides Jirouko was not her family. Not in the conventional sense, at least. She wasn't petty enough to say that Kazuhiko and Emiko were nothing to her - one of them didn't know how to handle her and would make mistakes time and time again, and she hasn't even seen the other one in weeks, but they weren't _nothing_ to her.

She couldn't quite deny that the others meant something to her as well.

Itachi, Sasuke, Kenta, Mikoto, that one nice lady at the market who always gave her a pear if she asked her nice enough. And Naruto. God, no, she would not leave him behind. She would take Naruto with her when she took Jirouko to Suna. They both deserved better than this world. Suna was home. Suna was safe. Suna would be the best place for them to grow up in. People had started acting differently to Gaara when she befriended him - they stopped looking at him in fear and began looking at him in curiosity. The slight smile one of the adults would show his way from time to time. The tiniest of kindness the other kids would show him when Rae came back to school time and time again, not a single bruise covering her form from the 'demon'. If they could change with Gaara, they could treat Naruto the same way. They would care for him there - they would love him there.

Two faces flash through her mind - long brown hair and kind chocolate eyes, wind blown blond hair with deep brown eyes.

Rae clenches a fist and brings it up to her chest. Her necklace, the little part of home she carried with her, was on the counter. She hadn't wanted to risk breaking or damaging it by bringing it into the shower and hot bath, so she left it out on the counter by the front of the bathroom. She'd left her ring there, too. The ring was a gift she had received from one of the Suna shinobi that had escorted her to Konoha, a kind, young boy who had to be no less than sixteen at the time. She usually left the plain gold colored ring in a drawer in her upstairs bedroom. It was still far too big to wear on her hands - her childish fingers were still too small and filled with baby fat to wear the jewelry. She had once wanted to add the ring to her necklace, but she was afraid she might drop the glass ball of home if she took the string apart, so she'd never done anything with it.

Rae is pulled from her thoughts by a faint shuffling on the outside of the bathroom door. She leans up in the water, looking over at the door. There was a familiar form behind the sliding door, holding something in their hands.

"Kei-sama?"

Kenta's smooth voice speaks up from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Yes?"

"I have clothing for you to change into once you're finished in your bath."

She leans back in her bath, reaching her hand up to card it through her short white hair. She nods, though she knows Kenta probably cant see it. Probably.

"Okay. I'll be out in a minute," she calls out to him. She can see his head nod in acknowledgement.

"I'll place them outside, by the door."

"Alright."

Rae waits for just a moment, listening to his soft footsteps retreating, and then dunks her head under the water to get the back of her head wet as well. She finishes rinsing the last of the soap off of her body quickly, and reaches for the towels in the front cabinet. She wraps the fluffy cloth around herself and looks down, eyeing the small pearl of sand that made up her little piece of home.

She sighs, shakes her head, and begins drying herself off.

* * *

Dinner is a slightly awkward affair.

Kenta is a gentleman the entire time, of course. It's not as though he would be anything else, especially considering who he was currently sitting down to have dinner with. Kazuhiko is politely silent almost the entire time, making conversation from time to time to try to figure something out. Jirouko is a bubbling pile of smiles and baby laughter, which is the only thing Rae is glad for.

And, of course, Emiko is there.

Apparently if there was one thing the older Shimizu woman wasn't willing to miss out on, it was a boy that her daughter brought home.

"So, Kenta-kun," Emiko begins gently, ice blue eyes down at the tempura and rice on her place. "How old are you exactly?"

Kenta raises his head, politely lowering his chopsticks with a bit of grilled fish on the end. He gives her a polite smile.

"Fifteen. I'll be turning sixteen this October."

"Hm." She fiddles with her food, takes one delicate looking bite, and turns her frosty eyes up at the boy. "A bit old, don't you think?"

"Emiko," Rae's father speaks up from the other side of the table, voice light but with a warning to it all the same. Kenta looks up at the man, then back at Emiko, then back at Kazuhiko once again. The poor boy looked so absolutely confused. Rae herself looked back and forth between the two adults out of the corner of her blue eyes, but mostly kept feeding Jirouko little bites of mushed vegetables. It would still be a few more months or so until he started growing his teeth in and could begin on solid foods. Semi-solids, at least. He'd have to start with soft foods, like steamed fruits or vegetables.

"Old?" Kenta asks uncertainly. "Old for what, Emiko-sama?"

Emiko and Kazuhiko share a meaningful look, then the older woman turns a smile to the young boy.

"Oh, nothing. It isn't important."

The rest of dinner goes more or less like that. Occasionally Emiko will ask some questions, sometimes Kazuhiko would shoot her down with a glance, and sometimes Kazuhiko would politely ask a few questions of his own.

"How has your training been going, Kei-chan?" He asks genially, picking apart his food and eating the little slips of meat he liked more than the others.

Rae shrugs noncommittally, making a small noise at the back of her throat while feeding Jirouko that makes the baby laugh. "Okay I suppose. Manabu-sensei has been getting rougher with taijutsu, but he says I've advanced pretty quickly and that I should be able to take the Genin exams when I'm twelve - he said I might even be able to pass them earlier if I keep advancing the way I have been. Kenta has been teaching me lots of cool water style ninjutsu."

He nods along with her words.

"And your fire style?"

She purses her lips and lets something akin to a pout cover her features. Jirouko lets out a childish wail when his big sister fails to make another silly noise for him.

"Nobody in the Shimizu Clan has fire style, so none of them can teach me. Mikoto-sama offered to let me practice with one of the Uchiha Jounin they have, but only if you accept and, y'know, agree to the idea."

He nods again.

"Of course. Anything to help you with your studies, Kei-chan."

"Anything, huh?" She asks, and she doesn't try to fool herself into thinking she doesn't notice the bit of venom that slipped into her voice. Kenta seems to notice it to, and though he lets the rice held between his chopsticks disappear into his mouth, his blue eyes narrow at her just slightly. In warning, maybe. "Anything, like marrying me off to the Uchihas?"

Kazuhiko shuts his eyes and lets out a wary sigh, as if he was expecting this to happen. He lowers his food down to his plate and looks over at his wife across the table.

"Keiko-" Emiko begins. Rae lets her hand drop to the table with a quiet clatter, and Kazuhiko lets out a gruff groan. He lowers his hand into one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Kei," he corrects, beginning the conversation over again. Rae looks over at him, and she catches a quick glimpse of how uncomfortable Kenta looked in the center of this all. She wonders briefly why his face was so open and easy to read today of all days, but she doesn't think too much further on it. "We haven't made a final decision on that yet. It was simply brought up to us by Fugaku-sama and we said we would think about it. I was fully planning on asking for your opinion on it."

Rae looks like she's torn between being angry or being apologetic. He hadn't made a final decision yet?

"You wanted to ask my opinion?" She asks again, almost uncertain. She felt like a jerk now, knowing that he hadn't actually forced a future she was uncertain about onto her without asking her first. He nods his head, his long dark blue head falling in front of his eyes with the movement. He brushes it back with his hand and picks up his chopsticks to begin eating his plate of dinner again.

"But," he begins, sounding a little less wary and more accomplished. Perhaps he was proud that he could curb his daughter's anger before she exploded on him. "Now that we are on that topic, how _would_ you feel about this?"

"I don't want an arranged marriage," her response was automatic. "If I ever marry, it'll be because I want to, not because I was 'supposed' to."

Her father nods along silently. There was a faint flicker of both pride and grief on his features, but it was gone before she could get any ideas.

"I understand."

And that was that. Kenta looked as though he didn't know whether to feel relief that it was all over, or surprised that he wasn't making much of a fuss about it. Dinner went on silently from then on. Emiko didn't speak again. Kazuhiko stayed mostly silent, only pitching in when he had some advice for Rae's training schedule. Kenta and Rae made most of the conversation from then on, mostly speaking about ninjutsus and how her training will continue from then on. He mentioned teaching her some new jutsus, and Kazuhiko looked surprised for a moment, then clapped his hands together with a small grin. Everyone looked over at him in confusion.

"That reminds me! Rae," he turned to his young daughter and there was a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. "How would you feel about summons?"

The room goes quiet, all expect for Jirouko's excited baby babble.

"Uh," she wisely speaks. "Summons...?"

Kenta let a small, sly smile cover his lips, and he lets his chopsticks fall onto his mostly empty plate as he claps his hands together as well.

"Summons! Some high ranking shinobi have animal summons by their side during battle. Have you ever heard of the Legendary Sannin?" At the young girl's nod of her head, he continues. "They each have summons of their own. Tsunade-sama with her slugs, Jiraiya-sama with his toads, and Orochimaru-sama with his snakes. They are your aid in battle, and a companion and comrade outside of the battleground. Many clans have summons that they pass down to their younger generation."

Rae nodded along, but stayed silent as she digested this information. Summons, huh? Of course, she had heard of the Legendary Sannin Shinobi in her time at the academy back in Suna. She had been in awe of their legendary summons, of the tales of the things they were capable of with an animal by their side. She would be getting one of those? What animal? When? How would she learn to work with them? When had the Sannin originally gotten their own summons?

"What.. what kind of animal does our clan have?"

Her father leaned back in his seat and placed one hand under his chin, cupping it in thought.

"So Manabu-kun hadn't told you, eh?" He let out a hum, and Kenta went back to eating his food. Emiko was still as silent as ever, although she was now busy with feeding the fussing baby between her and her daughter.

"Told me..? Told me what?" She asked, curious and just slightly wary.

He opened his eyes again and glanced at his young daughter, then sighed. "The way I see it, you have two choices here. Our Clan, the Shimizu, have a contract with the Doves. Their leader, Mae-sama, is always willing to let another generation of shinobi sign on as long as you're polite about it, of course. However..."

"..However?"

"However," Kenta begins the conversation next. "Manabu-san has his own summons - something separate from the Shimizu Doves. Since you are his personal student, you are technically allowed to ask if you can sign onto his contract. If he says yes, then you can have those instead of the Doves."

Rae blinks. She looks back and forth between her father and her servant slash sensei - maybe a little bit of a friend, too - and starts.

"Wait, Kenta, do you have summons?"

He smiles.

"Of course. I have the Doves."

Her eyes open wide in awe and admiration, and she looks at her friend in a new light. Summons, huh? Rae had never known that he has summons, especially not the Clan summons. She had thought, for just a fleeting moment, that perhaps the Side Branch members weren't allowed to have something the Main Branch family had. She didn't know whether she was glad to be wrong or not. On the one hand, she was sure a summon like that could help a spy in many situations, and she was glad he was being treated the same as a Main Branch family member would be in that regard, and both of those were good. On the other hand... he was kind of cooler than her now. That was.. less than good.

So she nods, a determined look on her face.

"I'll ask him tomorrow, then, during training, about his summons."

Kazuhiko nods, Kenta smiles, and that was that. She would talk to Manabu-sensei about his summons, find out what they were and what they could do, and then she would decide whether or not she wanted them. Of course, she was still feeling rather rebellious to her Clan at the moment, even if the entire marriage idea was thrown out the window the second she protested it, so just the idea of having a summon different from the rest of her Clan made her happy. However, this was one thing she would really think through rather than decide immediately because of emotions. Doves could be useful as well, she was sure. She didn't even know what Manabu-sensei's animals were just yet, so she didn't know whether she would even want them or not. Hell, she wasn't even entirely sure what the Doves did just yet.

Her answer to that last part came sooner than the others did, in the form of one fifteen year old spy late that night.

"You're curious, aren't you?"

Rae startles, nearly dropping the glass she was holding. She was quick enough not to, however, and was fast enough to place the pitcher of orange juice onto the table before her grip could go slack with that as well. Once she was one hundred percent certain she wouldn't be dropping any glasses or drinks any time soon, she whipped her head around to glare at the keeper of that voice.

Kenta stood in the door way to the kitchen, one hand on the door frame and the other lazily hanging by his side. He wore a light yukata, similar to the one he usually wore but with darker tones to it, an outfit he had changed into earlier that day when he had first come to her home and showered. His feet were bare, and Rae made a quick mental note to buy him a pair of house slippers at some point - he was beyond the point of just being an occasional guest. It'd be kind of rude not to get him a pair at this point.

Rae huffed, one side of her lips pulling up higher than the other.

"Speak for yourself, sir 'I'm gonna go scare the hell out of a ten year old girl in the middle of the night by asking a vague question out of nowhere'. What are you doing up?" She asked, pout still on her features even as she refocused on pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the container. She filled the glass halfway, and pouted further when she heard Kenta's light chuckle from the doorway.

"I heard you get up. I should also be asking _you_ that, madam 'I'm going to get up in the middle of the night for a glass of' - what is that, lemon juice?"

"Orange," she corrects him sourly, putting the pitcher back in the cold storage space she'd taken it from.

He nods - alright she couldn't see him but she was sure he was nodding.

"Right. Either way, you're up in the middle of the night as well. I suppose I wanted to come out here to check and see how my charge was doing."

She sends a grudging look his way, a mixture of a childish pout and a seriously disbelieving glare.

"Alright, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt," she mulls, bringing her class up to her lips and taking a few sips. Cold and calming, as usual. She turns her head back to the boy beside her, and sends him a curious look. "So say your charge _is_ curious about something. Are you.. obliged, to answer?"

"No," his answer was plain and simple and said with a calm smile. "No, I am not 'obliged' to answer any of your questions. I can, however, answer them if I simply _want_ to."

She's silent for a moment, thinking over his words, then a flat look overcomes her as she understands.

"What do you want?"

"Could I have a glass of juice as well?"

Rae won't lie - she certainly wasn't expecting a request like that. She's only startled for a moment, however, before she grins and walks over to him, giving him the rest of her glass of orange juice. She already had enough that she felt better - cold juice always calmed her down for some reason - so she really didn't need the rest of it. He looked more than glad, even if he did send her a dubious look, and took a small sip.

Dumb jerk would make a prettier and more delicate girl than she does.

"The Doves," he begins suddenly, and Rae shuts up her own inner thoughts to listen in intently. He seemed to sense her eagerness, and he smirked down at her, just a tad sharper than his usual serene smiles. "Are mostly for infiltration and information gathering - hence why they are a perfect summon for me, yes?" At her eager nod, he continues. "I have been contracted to them for roughly six years now. I got them when I was nine, back when I first began my training to become a spy. From what I know of them thus far, they specialize in mind tricks - genjutus. It seems to be a common occurrence where bird summons are very good with genjutsu type attacks, so it really isn't all that shocking, I suppose. If that doesn't seem to work out, however, they also have unique, natural sensing abilities. A newborn Dove could perhaps sense things better than a full-grown shinobi."

He shrugs, even if she was looking up at him with wide, awe filled eyes. "In my opinion, anyway. However," here, he opens his eyes, which had closed at some point through his miniature lecture about Dove summons, and looks down at her with a curious expression. She couldn't tell what was in his eyes, but it was a guarded and calculating look from what she could discover. "I do also know of Manabu-san's summons. I have been on a select few missions with him, and I have seen them in action."

He shakes his head, tisking in mock annoyance.

"Such a rowdy bunch, they are, animal and man alike. Well, you know what they say, like summon like master, hm?" He smiles sweetly down at her, and she thinks for the first time since knowing both him and Manabu-sensei, that perhaps he doesn't have the best feelings towards the older man. She wonders why, for just a brief moment, before she is inching closer and closer in anticipation.

"Wait, wait, wait - you know what his summons are? What they can do?" At his slow nod, she inches even closer, until she's all but grabbing onto the front of his sleepwear and looking up at him with wide, wide blue eyes. "What are they?! What do they do?! Can they fight? Do they do mind tricks like the Doves do? Can they fly? Oh, oh, can they do _fire_ _jutsus_ -"

Kenta holds up a hand to silence her, and she shuts her mouth with a firm clacking of her teeth. He smiles again, and she forcibly reminds herself that she once, just once, got the better of him, just to make sure she didn't feel like clawing his face off.

"Well, first of all," he opens his mouth, takes a breath to continue, and Rae bites her lip with anticipation. A childish pout overcomes his features suddenly. "Why would you care about fire jutsus? Aren't my water jutsus good enough for you, Kei-sama?"

She levels him with a flat look.

"I have water and fire affinity. I wanna learn both."

He pouts again, but lowers his hand onto the top of her head and begins again.

"Yes, his summons can fight - _it really seems like the only thing those mutts are good at_ \- and no, they do not do mind tricks like the Doves. Genjutsu, by the way Kei-sama, they're called genjutsus. No, they can not fly. Not as far as I know, anyway. I may just keel over the day they learn to fly... Oh, and," he sends another innocent, disarming smile her way.

"They're desert coyotes."

* * *

((A/N: Duh duh duhhh! It is literally no surprise which one she's gonna choose, is it. Damn.

Somebody once suggested Rae should get a desert animal for her summons, so I was like, fuck ya dude a little piece of home always with her, yknow? So yeah. These are gonna be her new summons, surprise surprise, desert coyotes!

Question!: Can anyone guess why Manabu and Kenta don't seem to like each other? Is it just clashing personalities, or something deeper? *waves fingers* ooooo spooooky~~

Anyway, there's your chapter. I hope you know I slaved over the laptop for like 3 days for you fools. Enjoy!

Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	26. Dogs and Birds

((A/N: Not much to say here except for the fact that I have finally, _finally_ moved into my new house! I have no bedframe so I'm just laying on the floor lol, but it's super great anyway. I'm typing this up on my sister's laptop so I don't know when I'll be posting this, but oh well. Responses to reviews!

May525- darn, i have been done diddly found out

EmiAikoAnyaAnnaEmma- first of all, I'd like to let you know how much of a hassle your username was to type up on a laptop. Shame on you. Second of all, thanks for the compliment! You're super sweet. Almost makes me forgive your username. I look forward to writing more Kenta for you so you can get a better feel on him, though I understand you prefer Itachi. Honestly I'm complete shipping trash? So I ship literally,,, _everything ? ? its difficult being me_

SuicidalSilence- Yeah, I don't have a Beta and I don't look over my chapters before I post them, so they often times have some grammar or spelling mistakes in them because of that. I am thinking about looking for a Beta though, so it might be fixed sometime soon? Maybe? And haa... maybe you're right. Maybe it is something deeper than just clashing personalities. Shruggie/ i guess we'll never know ~~

Tsukiyomi-Hio- Thank you! Dude yes I understand how cute they all are. I can't choose between em either ): It's hell for us shippers when cute characters show up huh

That's about all. I have a few more reviews that were saying how much they liked the story, and I wanna say thank you to you all! I don't want the A/Ns up here getting too long too often so I try to limit the responses to the reviews with questions or something I wanted to discuss with them.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

No amount of coaxing could get Rae back into bed after midnight, and no amount of tired groaning could get her to just _quiet down for a second please you're going to wake up Jirouko_ when she got up extra early the next morning. She put on her training gear in a new record, ignored the quick jab Kenta made about her speed training coming to fruition, and ran right past the breakfast table filled with three Shimizu.

She stopped by the front door, then backtracked.

"G'bye Jirou-chan," she whispered in a stage voice, kissing the little baby boy on his forehead. When he gave a tired giggle at his older sister, she cooed and rained down a hail of kisses across his face. He woke up quickly from his tired nap and made several attempts to grab at her white hair, all of which she fluidly dodged while still raining down kisses on whatever chubby pink skin she could reach.

"I'm going out now, Kei-sama," Kenta calls from the front door, causing her to pause in her attack on her baby brother.

"Be right there!" She called back. Turning her head, her eyes glanced right over her mother and landed on her father. The three of them had been having breakfast together - of course Emiko would only come out during the days Rae wasn't going to be there. But no, she wasn't going to think about that right now. Kazuhiko met her eyes and gave a tired smile in her direction, bags under his eyes and his long dark blue hair in a quickly put together mess of a bun. Rae offered a small smile back, and she notes that he visibly brightens at it.

Then she turns on her heels, gives one last kiss to her brother, and is running out the door with chakra-enhanced feet.

She meets up with Kenta quickly, then shoots right past him. She wasn't stopping for no fool, not today.

When she gets to the clearing by the river that she usually trained by, she finally pauses, and rests her hands on her knees for a moment as she tries to get her breath back. It wasn't that long of a run on its own, but the nonstop running coupled with the chakra usage in her legs made it seem further than it actually was.

"You might not want to use up so much chakra before training begins." Rae grins at the tall, older man in front of her. Today wasn't a day he was supposed to be teaching her. It was supposed to be a ninjutsu day with Kenta, and then she would do the half ninjutsu and half taijutsu day with them both, then the three days with Manabu-sensei would begin again. However, apparently Kazuhiko had sent out a request to change the schedule - again.

Manabu-sensei did not look glad about it.

"Hai, Sensei!"

He scowled at the girl, but the grin on her face didn't falter.

"Drop the tone, you aren't summoning shit today."

Her lips twitched down slightly, but the grin stayed on her face.

"Why not, Sensei?"

"Summoning takes a terrifyingly large amount of chakra to get done, kid. _I_ can summon something for you if you're interested in the Coyotes, but if you ever want to start summoning them, you're gonna be going through some serious chakra exercises."

She blinked, then finally lets the smile slip from her face as she looks confused for a moment.

"Chakra exercises? I've been doing those since we started training though, Sensei. Why can't I summon something now?"

He sighed - the same way Kenta sighs when he's taunting how slow she's being, she notes - and raises one hand up to fiddle with his short, mussed up dark blue hair. "Listen, Kei-san. Summoning doesn't just take up a large portion of whatever chakra you currently have, not like what the water Justus Kenta-san has been teaching you. Summoning takes a specific amount of chakra - a very big, very _taxing_ amount of chakra. The exercises we've been doing have been enough to build up your levels to do some low level and mid level ninjutsu, yes, but your reserves are nowhere near being high enough to actually summon something - not even a pup. Understood?"

She nods her head in understanding, the little frown still on her face.

"So what _do_ I have to do to get large enough chakra reserves to summon something?"

He nods his own head in approval of her smart question and explains simply, "Chakra exhaustion exercises. For about a month and a half, you will be exhausting yourself of chakra every day. Not just enough to make yourself tired like we already have been doing," he quickly adds on the last part as he sees her open her mouth to interrupt. When she shuts her mouth with a click, he continues. "Complete chakra exhaustion training is when you use up enough chakra to knock yourself unconscious. Doing several water Jutsu and then running around on the ceiling or walls of your bedroom should probably be enough to exhaust you currently, but it is not something you do on your own, you hear?"

She nods again, but he doesn't look impressed.

"I'm _serious,_ Kei-san. This isn't something you can turn around and do on your own. If you exhaust yourself and nobody is around to take care of you afterward, you can die from chakra exhaustion. That would be why your father waited this long to introduce you to summoning - in the hopes that you would have enough common sense not to do this alone. I guess he thinks you're finally mature enough for it." He grumbles something under his breath, but she doesn't bother listening in.

When Manabu-sensei looks up over her head and scowls off into the distance, she looks over to see what it was he was glaring at.

Kenta smiles at them from afar, walking towards them in his own leisurely pace.

Rae turns back and around and focuses her curious - and slightly worried - gaze at her teacher. It appears that her earlier suspicion, the suspicion that Manabu-sensei and Kenta didn't get along for whatever reason, was true. She looked back and forth between the two older shinobi several times. When Kenta finally arrives, his hands folded into his usual yukata as always and a genial smile on his face _as always,_ Rae frowns.

Then there's silence.

Manabu-sensei glares at Kenta.

Kenta smiles at Manabu-sensei.

Rae wants them both to stop being dumb and to just teach her the cool summoning stuff now. So, she jumps between the two of them - literally. Kenta takes a quick step back when mud splashes up from the still destroyed area jumps up and gets the bottom of his yukata dirty. Manabu-sensei looked decidedly pleased with her, and he huffs down at her.

"Alright, I take it you want to see 'em, huh?"

She beams up at him with excitement clear in her blue-red eyes.

"Uh, _yes?!_ Who're you gonna summon? It's not gonna be the, like, alpha or whatever, right?"

He shakes his head and turns around, walking a few feet away.

"No, it's not going to be him. He'd tear me to shreds if I summoned him for something as ridiculous as introducing a pup to the family, especially if one of the others could just as easily do it for him." Rae shudders slightly. She really can't tell if he was being sarcastic or not when saying the Alpha would tear him to shreds. "No, instead, I think I'll call on an old partner of mine. He ain't the kindest coyote, mind you, so try to ignore anything he might say behind your back."

She frowns and Kenta clears his throat to cover something that sounded suspiciously like 'mutt'. Before she can turn around and ask him why he was insulting Manabu-sensei's summons, she pauses in her spot to watch in fascination as her teacher slams his hand down onto the muddy ground and, with a gruff 'Summoning Jutsu!' there is an explosion of smoke covering the ground in front of him.

A split second of silence reigns across the clearing before the smoke begins to _move._

A fuzzy, dark brown head begins raises from the top of the smoke, higher and higher until the head reached up even higher than Manabu-sensei. THen the smoke settles, seemingly disappearing into nowhere, and the large - and seriously, it was a _huge_ animal - coyote was left in the clearing for all to see. The animal was taller than Manabu-sensei was, with a dark brown coat of short, spiky fur and darker brown surrounding the nose and paws on the giant creature. There was a scar going down one of the animal's beady dark brown eyes, going all the way through his snout, and another two scars that looked like giant claw marks going down his back. They looked painful, and Rae briefly wonders where the animal must have gotten them. A long, spiky brown tail swishes slowly behind the creature, but it stops the moment Manabu-sensei begins speaking.

"ROBA! You _dirty old fox,_ where have you been?" There's a giant grin on the older man's face, and he holds out his hands on either side of him, as if he was expecting the giant, ferocious looking coyote to move forward and _hug him._

Only, 'Roba' doesn't hug him. Instead, the creature's eyes widen when he recognizes the voice, and, in a split second so fast Rae can't really see it, the coyote is headbutting Manabu in the gut so hard the older man wheezes and flies backward several feet.

He flips in the air twice before finally landing on his knees, bending over to clutch his stomach. He's still grinning at the violent animal though.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend, Roba-chan~?"

Roba lets out a loud, ear-shattering roar that Rae has to cover her ears for. She can see Kenta doing the same, with a bored - if a bit unhappy - expression on his features.

"An _old friend?_ I always knew you were racked in the head, Manabu, but I never knew you were this level of _delusional!_ "

Rae is almost shocked right off of her feet when the giant creature begins speaking at Manabu. His voice is deep and rough, even gruffer than Manabu's own voice, and it sounds like someone might have once hurt his throat that left his voice scarred in a permanent manner. His teeth are long and sharp, and two of them are silver and shiny - teeth made out of metal, perhaps? Rae doesn't want to be bitten by _those._

Actually, taking a closer look at the sharp rows of yellowish and slightly reddish teeth, Rae decided she didn't want to be bitten by any of those teeth. At all.

"Oh, are you still bitter about _that old mission?_ I thought you were mature enough to get over-"

Manabu is cut off roughly when the giant creature begins charging at him with a gruff, " _SHUT_ UP!"

Rae can do nothing but look on in a mixture of both fear and awe when Manabu manages to jump to his feet and, no, he did not dodge - he _caught the giant creature head on._ The two of them go skidding through the mud several feet, and Rae's eyes widen. She makes a move to go and follow them, to watch their fight and wait for the chance to ask why they were at each others' throats, but before she can she heard Kenta tisking behind her.

"Such children," he chides as if he was older and better than they were. Rae frowns, and she turns around to pout at him, but she pauses when she sees him molding chakra in a familiar handsign. A handsign Manabu-sensei had just used not two minutes ago.

When he slams his hand down onto the ground with a passive 'Summoning Jutsu!', however, she outright gapes.

Once more, a heavy smoke fills the area in front of him. It takes a much smaller amount of time for it to be cleared, however, and within a second or two there is a big, white dove settling itself on Kenta's outstretched arm. Like the creature Manabu-sensei had summoned, it's much bigger than what it should be. In fact, the elegant white bird with shimmering ice blue eyes was about the size of a bald eagle. The dove blinks its blue eyes, then turns its' head to the side and peers at Rae with curiosity.

Rae feels underdressed under the royal looking bird's gaze. It flutters its' long, elegant white wings a few times as it settles into a more comfortable position on the older boy's arm.

"Who is this, Kenta-sama?"

Rae isn't as surprised the second time around, but she still feels her breath catch in her throat when the bird's gentle, feminine sounding voice comes through the open beak - a beak that looked like a sharpened weapon. She remembers Kenta telling her that while the Doves mostly used genjutsu in their fights, they were still capable of physical fighting if absolutely necessary. She wonders how many fights this particular gentle looking bird had been in.

Kenta smiles at his winged companion and rests his other hand gently on its' back, brushing down a few out of place feathers.

"This is Kei-sama, the Shimizu Heiress."

The Dove blinks once more, then leans forward and tilts its' head to the side as it peers at her in open curiosity. A moment of tense silence goes by before the bird pulls back, resting itself comfortably against Kenta's shoulder and arm.

"Hello, Kei-sama. I am Suzume. It is an honor to meet you," she greets formally, even going as far as giving a polite, low bow.

She could totally see Kenta spending all his time around these birds.

"A-ah, yeah," she mutters, bowing back slightly. Then she pauses, and a grin of amusement flickers on her features. "Wait - Suzume? Your name is 'sparrow'?"

Suzume promptly rises from her bow, and Kenta coughs into his other fist gently. He winces when Suzume's claws dig into his shoulder.

"Yes."

And then it's silent again. Rae looks over the bird's beautiful white feathers once more, noticing a few light blue ones mixed in the fray, before she looks away, uncomfortable. What the hell was she supposed to do now? Why had Kenta summoned the bird in the first place? And where the hell has Manabu-sensei and his summon go to? Why weren't they back yet? She really hoped the coyote wasn't killing her teacher. It'd be a pain to find a new one.

Also, she'd have to find another summon if Manabu-sensei couldn't give her the coyotes.

But, Rae muses, did she really want the coyotes now? Don't get her wrong - they were _desert_ coyotes, which was an automatic win in Rae's opinion. However, the one that Manabu-sensei had summoned seemed rather... violent. Not to mention Kenta had constantly been commenting on how the coyotes only ever fought and killed. She glanced over at the beautiful dove again, then promptly looked away with a red face when the dove stared right back.

She opened her mouth, paused, then shut it again. Then she opened it again, cleared her throat, and tried to speak.

"Ah, Kenta-"

She is abruptly cut off when Manabu-sensei comes crashing through the clearing.

"Kei-san!"

Rae nearly jumps ten feet into the air at his loud, excited voice.

"H-hai, Sensei?" She calls back, equally as loud but not quite as excited. Manabu-sensei sends her a large grin, and behind him, Roba the Coyote comes trudging up behind him calmly. Rae has no idea what the hell happened with the two of them - or where the hell they went, seriously, it's a flat clearing with a river - but the large, scarred creature was much calmer than before and stood beside the older man silently. His dark eyes were watching her contemplatively, and she feels just as underdressed and unprepared as she did when the Dove had done it as well.

"Good news! Roba-chan has decided that he'll let you sign the contract -"

Rae begins to gape, but before she can the giant coyote's head comes down and butts Manabu-sensei in the side.

" _No,_ I said I would consider it and bring the idea to Alpha-sama. I don't have the rights to give away our contract to pups."

Rae still gaped.

* * *

"So," Rae began hesitantly from her spot on the ground.

Roba, the giant coyote that Manabu-sensei had summoned, let his large head turn lazily in her direction. He was laying down on the ground, apparently unperturbed by the mud and water all over the place, and had been laying with his head on his paws for the last few minutes. After noticing Kenta and Manabu-sensei in some heated discussion over on the sidelines, she had joined him. Sitting a few feet away out of a healthy sense of fear, of course.

Suzume, the Dove from before, was sitting on a tree branch above the two of them, watching silently.

"Why do you hate Manabu-sensei, Roba-san?"

The large creature tilts his head in a curious fashion, one dark eye blinking down at her. Then the thing _grinned,_ and Rae decided then and there that animals with sharp teeth should not have the muscle movement capable of smiling.

" _Hate him?_ " He repeats in his deep, gruff voice. He throws his spiky brown head back and lets out a gruff laugh. Rae winces at the noise. "I don't hate the idiot. He's an old friend!"

She openly stares, dumbfounded.

"But... didn't you try to kill him?"

It was his turn to stare at her in open confusion.

"'Kill him'? No, of course not."

He doesn't explain anything else from then on. Rae stares at him in confusion and awkward curiosity. He stares right on back in confusion and an openly calculating look in his dark eyes. There's a gentle, quiet sigh from above them, and Rae knows it's Kenta's summon.

"I hear that Kenta-sama already warned you about this, Kei-hime." Rae wants to pout at being called a princess by the elegant bird, but she doesn't. It's totally going to ruin her image as a boy, though. "Those coyotes are not very... _subtle._ They show affection with violence. They bite and claw and scratch each other just to say hello. Don't even get me started on how they train their young!"

Roba rolls his dark eyes, shuffling around in his spot under the tree to get more comfortable.

"Hush, you gnat."

Suzume gave a squawk of anger, and Rae sighs heavily. Doves and Coyotes don't get along too well, apparently. She could see why, though. The Doves seemed to be elegant, refined birds - almost regal and royal, in Rae's opinion. They spoke with soft, gentle voices, and had an air of importance to them. The Coyotes, however, did _not._ They were loud and brash and sometimes rather violent. Whereas the Doves felt important - and made others feel unimportant... - the Coyotes felt that everyone was an equal unless proven otherwise.

She snuck a glance over at the giant coyote beside her. He really was huge - he dwarfed her smaller frame easily, and Rae really couldn't wait to grow up already so everyone would stop being automatically taller than her.

Roba turned his scarred head in her direction, and she glanced away quickly with a tint of embarrassment flushing her features. A heavy sigh.

"You want to contract with the Coyotes, pup?"

She glanced up in his direction again, looking up from underneath her bangs uncertainly. The Coyote's eye narrowed down at her, and Rae felt her breath catch in her throat. They were loud, and brash, and _confident._ So, with a quick inhale of breath, she raised her head fully to meet his eyes head on. She nods once, determined. Roba stares at her for another second or so before another terrifying grin breaks out onto his dog-like features.

"Good. If Manabu will vouch for you, then I'll vouch for you too. I'll take your desire to contract with us to Alpha-sama - but be warned, brat, if Alpha-sama agrees to this, you'll begin your training with us immediately. Coyotes're supposed to be trained with their summoner from a very young age, to forge bonds between the human and the coyote. Kami only knows why it took your pops so damn _long_ to introduce you to us."

"He thought I was immature," she supplied, trying to be helpful. When Roba's eyes turn back down at her in a curious gaze, she shrugged minutely. "It's what Manabu-sensei said... I think."

Silence falls upon the trio again, and Rae thinks vaguely that her situation sounds a lot like an awful joke. A bird, a dog, and a little girl walk into a bar...

Before her thought can go far, however, Kenta and Manabu are walking back over to the three of them. There's a fluttering noise from above them, and Suzume flies down from her perch on the tree, landing right onto Kenta's outstretched arm. Roba takes his time to stretch for a moment before he stands to his full height, shaking out his spiky fur of all the mud and water he'd gotten on himself while laying down.

He let out a vicious chuckle when Suzume gave an indignant screech of protest at all the mud covering her once perfect white feathers.

"Roba," Manabu begins before anything has the chance to break out between them all. The Coyote's head turns up in his direction, although he has to tilt it down to look the man in the eyes. "You can go now. I'll summon you again in two days for the confirmation."

Roba gives a haughty huff at being dismissed so casually, but nods along. Then, without any warning or word, he's gone in a puff of smoke just as big as he had arrived in.

Kenta turns to his own summon. There's silence between them, before Suzume is also gone in a flash of smoke. Like before, her smoke disappears quicker than Roba's. Rae vaguely wonders why, but turns her head to both her senseis.

Silence.

"...so...?" Rae begins uncertainly, shuffling her feet underneath her. Manabu-sensei lifts his head and stares at the sun. She is tempted to tell him that looking at the sun was bad for one's eyes. He turns his head down and looks at her, with a glint of mischief in his dark, dark eyes.

"It's not lunch time yet. Start running."

She hesitates for a second, wondering if he meant to being running right that second or wait until he said 'start' like he usually did.

When he pulled out a handful of kunai, she ran like her life depended on it.

* * *

"A bit harsh, Manabu-san," Kenta speaks genially from his position under the tree, watching the white haired heiress run away as quick as she could. Her speed has increased, that much was obvious, but it was still a far cry from his or from the speed of the man standing beside him, looking at him in distaste. He looked at him as if one of his wretched dogs had just spat him out for dinner.

"But necessary," he finishes for the younger boy. Kenta looks over at him gently, before shrugging.

"That wasn't quite what I was going to say, but oh well. Opinions differ."

The older of the two sighs gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his tired eyes.

"Why the hell're you still here, kid? I didn't need you here to summon anything, I didn't need you here to argue with me about my own damn student, and I sure as hell don't need you here for the rest of her training session."

Kenta doesn't even bother giving him a fake smile. His face clears of all emotion, and he stares after the spot the girl disappeared from. She was on the other side of the clearing now, almost ready to turn back around and begin running back towards them. She really was getting faster.

"You know very well why I am still here, Manabu-san."

The older man opens his dark eyes and follows Kenta's line of sight, eyes narrowing when his eyes land on the girl he was training. He lets out a weary grunt of acknowledgement.

"Yeah... my own damn friend can't trust me with his daughter."

This time, Kenta does offer him a smile. Whether it was fake or not was anyone's guess.

"It isn't that Kazuhiko-sama doesn't trust you, Manabu-san. He simply wants some... extra protection when it comes to his only living daughter. He's worried for her-"

"-He's worried for himself, and you damn well know it, kid. I may hate your guts, but you're _smart._ It's obvious to everyone, and I ain't even a damn spy!"

Kenta is silent for a long while, and when he sees the little Shimizu Heiress nearing them with a steely glint of determination in her eyes, he lets a small, genuine smile cover his lips. He mutters, in a silent tone and just under his breath,

"Then you better pray you don't let it slip."

The girl is there too fast for the older man to reply with anything.

* * *

((A/N: Whoop, whoop. I really love writing Kenta overall. He might just accidentally be the best character in my opinion. Oops.

Question!: What cool thingie ma-jingies do you think the Coyotes can do?

See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	27. Introducing the Coyotes

((A/N: So, I had a little scare the other day. My baby bro was at home all alone, because he was going to move up with our mom but momma dearest had to go out for a little while and left him home alone. He messaged me at three in the freakin' morning telling me someone was jiggling the back door? Little booger was just hearing things but he gave me a god darn heart attack. Fucker.

Responses to reviews:

Tsukiyomi-Hio- I'm assuming you meant why did he react like that when he saw Manabu, not Rae? If you did mean Rae, I don't know what you're talking about, he only reacted with curiosity at who she was. If you do mean Manabu, then yeah he was both glad and angry to see the man. Like they explained in the last chapter, coyotes show affection through physical means - hitting, biting, scratching. That kind of stuff. So he was both being very affectionate and very rough with Manabu. I won't go into detail as to why he was being rough, though, as it has something to do with their past as partners.

readthishit- I know omg. I can't help it tho I just love writing Kenta. Salty bae deserves an entire story to himself. But no, you're right. Chapters from here on will have a little bit less of him as she trains with her summons, and they'll probably have a hell of a lot less when she finally becomes Genin.

Ori Heartlyng- you know, I did the same thing? I looked up old myths and whatnot about desert coyotes just to get some ideas on what they should be able to do in their fights. Nerds think alike, amiright? I like your ideas, though, seriously. Definitely gonna use a few of them.

Beware, this chapter has lots of new names in it lol. You don't have to remember them all now, of course, but these new names will be showing up plenty in future chapters, so you might as well learn them. Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

They said yes.

As Manabu had promised, Roba came back in exactly two days. Same spot, same time. He grinned one of his feral, terrifying grins down at Rae, and announced that the Alpha said that if Manabu trusted the girl, then he would trust the girl. Her training with the Coyotes would begin in one week exactly, and while Manabu had tisked and shaken his head like he was disappointed, he had congratulated her nonetheless.

"You're going to get a pack, Kei-san," Manabu ran beside her. Or, rather, it was more like he was jogging beside her, while she ran as fast as she could. Her legs were already burning at this stage, but Manabu-sensei had said that she had to constantly push her limits to make herself better. So she did.

"What?" She asked, out of breath. She was too focused on where she was running to turn to look at him, even if she felt the urge to do so.

"Training with Coyotes isn't just about learning new tricks or a new style of taijutsu - which they do have, by the way, so be prepared to forget every ounce of taijutsu I've taught you this far. But no, back to my point. Coyotes have a way of life that they follow, alright? Three words, it's all you have to remember, but it's three words that you're gonna have to _live by_ if you become one of them."

She offers him a slight, if confused, glance, but turns back to her running quickly. No need to trip.

"What words?"

He grins at her.

"Honesty, Loyalty, and Family. The three most important thing to any Coyote worth their salt - and something that's gonna be important to you, too."

Rae frowns.

"Family is already important, though..."

"Good," he smiles at her, more genuine than his usual smirks. "That's good, both for you and for the Coyotes. The only thing is, the Coyotes consider each other to be family. Once you become their summoner, then you'll be a part of the family as well. You'll be important to them, and they have to be important to you. You gotta treat them like you'd treat your own family - you've gotta be willing to put your life on the line to protect them, like they'll do for you. If they think that you don't care about them, then they have a right to turn against you, Kei-san. I want you to know that."

She frowns, but nods along.

Honesty, loyalty, and family.

Family was something Rae already treasured deeply. Her family back in Suna meant more than the world to her, and her family here in Konoha... Well, Jirouko was something Rae would gladly give her life up to protect. Her father was someone she was beginning to care for, sure, but Rae doesn't know if she'd be willing to say that his life was more important than hers. And her mother...

Honesty was another one of the three words that were already important to her. Perhaps not as important as family was to her, but important nonetheless. She despised being lied to, and therefor tried not to lie to others when she could. Her insistence for Kenta to stop lying with his fake smiles, and her chiding whenever Naruto told a white lie to someone were all aspects of her desire for honesty.

Loyalty went hand in hand with both of the other two, so Rae didn't really know where she stood with that one. What was considered true loyalty to someone? If you told a lie, but protected them with your life, would it be loyalty? Is loyalty when someone cares deeply for you - or is it simply doing as you're told with no questions asked?

The week passed quickly.

At some points, Rae would often times chide that the week went by too slowly, eager to get to train with her newest companions. At other times, she would nervously look at the clock on her bedroom wall and beg, _just one more hour, just slow down please._ Would the Coyotes really accept her as easily as Manabu-sensei said they would? Would they all welcome her and think of her as family _just because_ she could summon them?

She couldn't even really summon them yet - Manabu-sensei said that while she could begin training with them now, she would start her chakra exercises after she had gotten her own 'pack'. He'd said that she could only start it then so she would have them look out for her, and forge their bonds closer than before in the process. Two birds with one stone, he commented.

When she stood in the clearing, Manabu-sensei flashing through the handsigns needed for summoning, Rae couldn't help but nervously tug on her simple grey shirt in nervousness. Would they all be as huge and terrifying as Roba was? Would they demand respect? Or would they be regal looking like Suzume had been? No - she had been told repeatedly by everybody that the Coyotes were nothing like the Doves. That much was obvious.

When the smoke cleared, Rae nearly dropped in surprise.

There was one larger Coyote, yes. A single creature roughly the same size as Manabu-sensei rather than Roba's huge, towering form. Its' body was sleeker, as well. Leaner. As if it were built for speed rather than strength. There weren't many scars or scratches across this coyote's body, either, leading Rae to believe that perhaps it was a message runner, or simply a stay at home parent? Either way, it was still much taller than her smaller form, and dwarfed her easily. The dark brown coyote had light brown accents across its' back and chest, and speckles of darker brown across its' body. It turned intelligent, brown eyes down at Rae in an almost threatening manner.

The pack of baby coyotes running around and yipping at the older coyote dulled the effect, though.

Rae looked down at the smaller creatures wordlessly. They were even smaller than her, and she, for once, was glad that there was something around shorter than she was. All these tall coyotes were beginning to terrify her.

There were about seven of them, all roughly the size of a medium sized dog, running around the clearing and chasing after their tails or, in one case, biting at Manabu-sensei's shoes. The majority of them were brown and beige, the common color for these summons as Rae was beginning to note, but there were two of them who looked slightly different than the others. Instead of the usual dark brown and light brown, their colors were drastically lighter. One of them was white with golden accents, and the other was a golden brown color with dark brown specks.

Rae decided those two were her favorites.

" _Children,_ " the largest of the coyotes finally spoke up. A female, then. That both terrified and relieved Rae. The females of the coyotes seemed to be just as large and intimidating as the males did, but at least Rae wasn't dealing with another one of them. She felt somewhat better, knowing she wasn't the only girl here. Even if the only other girl was a coyote.

At once, all of the younger coyotes stopped whatever it was that they were doing, and lined up in front of the older creature. The female coyote's eyes stared down impassively at each of them, before reaching up to look directly at Rae once again.

"This is your newest pack mate..." she paused deliberately, staring at Rae. She stuttered for a moment before finally responding with a meek,

"M-my name is Kei..?"

The female coyote's eyes narrowed, but she still continued.

"Your newest pack mate, Kei. Treat her kindly and welcome her as one of your own, you'll begin your training with her."

With that, there was a puff of smoke and the largest of the animals were gone. Manabu was off to the side, snickering about something, before he turned on his heel to give Rae a big grin.

"I guess she really didn't want to stick behind to deal with all of you."

Rae's brow lifted in mock confusion, trying very hard not to notice all eyes of the small coyotes looking up at her in curiosity.

"And what, you do?"

Manabu is silent for a moment. Then, he shrugs.

"Good point."

* * *

Rae is almost ashamed to admit that training with the small pack of coyotes was, in turns, too easy and too difficult. It was never just right, never was it just enough to push her but not hard enough to exhaust her. It was too difficult to deal with it one moment, then far too easy to do everything in the next moment.

Manabu, despite his comments about wanting to leave for 'better things to be doing', stayed behind with them to introduce all of them to each other and to make sure everything went well. There was, apparently, no more training for today. Today, they were simply supposed to spend the entire day with each other to get to know each other, as they would be spending a lot of time together from then on. The entire day - all twenty four hours. They would even be spending the night with her, as Manabu-sensei had giddily explained. Rae was afraid he knew something she didn't.

The oldest of the litter was Ari, the big sister type of figure that Rae could sympathize with. Dealing with little brothers could get rather difficult from time to time, even if Rae's brother was still a baby. Ari was rough and perhaps the most mature out of them all, but still childish in her own right. Her coat was short and spiky, and was the same shade of dark brown with darker brown accents that looked a lot like Roba. When asked, Ari admitted that Roba was her father, which would explain why they looked so similar. Her eyes were the same shade of dark brown, but they were slanted slightly more than Roba's had been.

The second eldest was Inu. He was probably the most excitable and energetic of the entire pack. He was constantly running back and forth between things he'd never seen before, asking questions nonstop even when nobody answered them. He reminded her of Naruto, with his childish curiosity about everything and his endless questions. His fur was a pure dark brown - no spots or freckles of other colors. His eyes were a charcoal black, rather than the usual dark brown, and they were always open wide in curiosity.

The third in line was Ahiru. He was the quietest. Probably the smartest, too. Honestly, Rae had the image of a nerdy child with thick glasses whenever she thought of him. He was still childish in his own ways, of course, but he seemed to like learning more than running in the mud. He had been the one who was chewing on Manabu-sensei's shoes - something he did must do often, considering Manabu-sensei had only sighed at him before shaking him off. His coat was a few shades lighter than the others, with specks of beige on his legs and head. His eyes, the same flinty black as Inu's, were just as wide and curious as the others' were, even if he was a bit more resigned.

Tsuru was the middle child, it seemed. Directly in between the oldest three and youngest three. He was somewhat intelligent, enough to sometimes hold a rather interesting talk with Ahiru, but not enough to be considered genius or anything of the sort. Despite this, he was on the more childish side of things. He was constantly biting on something, too. Earlier he had been chewing on bark, but now, as he ran around the clearing with his litter mates, he seemed to be chewing on anything and everything he could get his teeth on. His coat of dark brown fur was soft, not the same spiky tufts of fur like all the others were, and Rae loved to run her hands through it. His eyes were a light brown, with specks of golden beige mixed in.

The third youngest was Umi, a loud, energetic ball of light. He was one of the two coyotes that looked different than the rest. His coat was a golden shade of brown, much lighter than the usual dark colors, but not enough to be an outcast. He had specks of darker brown colored all through out his body - over his paws, looking as if he was permanently muddy, and over his nose, ears, neck, and back. His tail was completely brown rather than his body's color of golden brown, and his eyes were a vibrant green, like the forests of Konoha. Umi seemed to have difficulty walking straight, and was constantly tripping over his own paws. He was too proud, however, to let anyone help him up when he tripped, and would spend nearly five minutes in the mud just trying to stand back up. Rae had wanted to help, but learned quickly when he tried to bite her. Manabu hadn't been happy at him, but had still laughed at her for it.

The second youngest of the group was Akio. Unlike Umi, he looked nearly the same as all the others - dark brown, spiky fur that covered his frame, with only spots of lighter brown colored throughout. Akio seemed to always be following Inu around, just as excitable and energetic as the second oldest among them was. He also had a mean streak a mile wide, though. As young and energetic as he was, he was constantly snapping at the others and offering sarcastic comments that they all groaned at.

Finally, the youngest. Kira. The only other girl in the group, right next to Ari. She was, unlike the others, prideful and tough and challenging. Of course, don't get her wrong, all of them will rise to a challenge if you say they can't do something - they are, after all, just children. Kira, however, was the only one who would _instigate_ the challenges. Her coat was unlike the others, whereas the others had brown and beige colors, her coat was a mixture of desert colors. Yellow, brown, beige, red, and a muddy shade of green all merged together in a perfect desert camouflage. Where the others would have lighter or darker shades on their paws and nose or backs, she instead had a golden yellow-ish color. Her eyes were a golden yellow with specks of red and brown in them, and it reminded Rae of the desert.

Was it any wonder she felt rather drawn to the youngest of the pack?

"Do you?"

Rae blinks, having just been unfocused from the things around her. She turned her head, glancing her blue-red eyes down at the owner of the voice.

Umi looked up at her with wide, curious green eyes. His rear was in the air while his front was pushed down into the ground, and his soft light brown head was resting on his paws. He'd tripped and was in the process of getting up, and had apparently asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Umi pouted up at her - an expression that looked far too cute on such a small, doggy face - and let out a keen whine. His rear fell back down to rest on the ground and he lifted his head up at her instead.

"I asked if you knew any ninjutsu yet."

"Oh, ah," she hummed, letting one muddy hand raise up to brush the already muddy strands of white hair out of her face. She'd been running around with the litter for the last three hours, and they had gotten mud _everywhere._ They also, at one point, jumped into the river, but Rae had immediately gotten out when she remembered how _cold_ it was at this time of year. It was only April 30th right now - it was rather cold out.

The other pups stopped whatever barking or biting they had been doing to turn at her, expecting her answer.

She laughed nervously.

"Ah, yes? I know some water ninjutsu. Do you know any... ah, actually, can Coyotes even _do_ ninjutsu?"

Umi scoffed at her, and Ari came by to lay down beside Rae. It was Tsuru who graced her with an answer though, stretching out on the muddy ground. His spiky brown fur blended well with the mud, she noted.

"You don't know lots 'bout us, huh, human?"

Rae frowned, a pout on her face as she sat in the mud. Her entire outfit was covered head to toe at the moment, so the extra mud didn't bother her.

"I was only told that you guys existed, like, a week and a half ago. Now answer my question, nerd."

Tsuru scowled at the nickname she'd called him, and turned up his head to look away.

"Yes, Coyotes can do ninjutsu," Umi answered for him. "A lot of us usually have Earth, Wind, or Fire jutsu. We've never met anyone with a Water affinity-" he turns his head around to stare at Manabu-sensei, who was sitting in a tree far away from all the mud splashing. "-except for him, I mean."

Rae hums. "So you've never been contracted with someone else with a Water affinity?"

Umi rolls over in the mud, showing his stomach with a happy grin. Rae begrudgingly leans over to pat him.

"I dunno, I'm too young to say we've _never_ had a Water summoner!"

She pinches his stomach, slightly glad when he gives out a startled yelp and moves to stand up. His movement is too quick and jerky, however, and he falls flat on his face again. Akio laughed at him from across the clearing, where he was attempting to climb up the tree Manabu was in. He wasn't doing too well with that, especially considering Manabu was hitting him with a small water jutsu every time he got his paws off the ground.

"What about you all then? Do any of you know your affinities yet?"

"'Course we do, we've been waiting for _you,_ dumb-dumb," Umi scowls, rubbing one soft paw against the area Rae had just pinched him.

She blinks.

"Waiting for me? What do you mean?"

"Well," Ari speaks up beside her, rolling over so her underbelly could get some fresh air and sunlight on it. "Alpha-sama told us that Manabu-sama had taken on an apprentice-"

"I'm actually just a student, not a personal apprentice-"

"-and was going to pass the Coyote contracts onto them," she continues, ignoring Rae's input. "So they readied a litter to start training with the newest summoner. Of course, you're a little bit older than what we expected, 'cos usually when we get a summoner we're supposed to bond with them since we're all pups, you know? To forge close bonds and all that?" At Rae's nod, she continues. "So that was what we were doing. We were waiting for you- or, I guess, we've been waiting for Manabu-sama to introduce us to you... anyway, I have an Earth affinity."

"I have fire!" Umi speaks up beside her, suddenly seeming less upset about the pinch and more eager to prove himself. He rolls around on the muddy ground and begins listing off all the others as well. "Inu and Tsuru both have got fire too, Ahiru and Akio have earth, and Kira's the only one with a Wind affinity."

"Huh," Rae hums to herself in acknowledgement. "You know, I actually have two affinities - water and fire."

Several heads lifted at her.

"What, really?! I didn't know you could have _two!_ "

"You can have _opposite_ affinities?!"

"That's so neat! How come you've never told us?"

"I bet I'm a better Fire user than you are!"

Rae scoffs at Umi's proud challenge.

"Of course you're better than I am, I only started training with the Uchihas _two days ago._ I haven't even begun learning how to do any of the actual jutsus, they've just been telling me about what molding chakra is like, how to do it, yada yada yada. All the same stuff I learned with water jutsu."

Manabu-sensei tisked from his spot on the tree. He opens his mouth to say something, spits out a glob of water at Akio - who had just jumped onto the first branch, and promptly fell to the ground when the water smacked right into him - and then opens his mouth to speak again.

"Don't diss that information, Kei-san. It's important stuff to know, especially if you intend on using something as violent as fire - don't ignore it."

Rae rolled her eyes, but nodded along either way. How was learning how to mold chakra for a Fire affinity different than learning how to mold chakra for a Water affinity? It all seemed the same to her. At least, all the things she'd been taught about for both of them seemed similar thus far. She hasn't gotten around to actually using any Fire jutsus.

"Oh, oh, you wanna see something super _cool?_ " Umi asked, jumping up from his spot on the ground. His forest green eyes were wide in excitement, and his bushy tail was wagging a mile a minute. The grin on his dog-like face was less threatening than when Roba had grinned, but that's perhaps because Umi's teeth were still small and round, and definitely not stained in several years' worths of _red._

Rae opened her mouth to begin asking what this 'super cool' thing was, but was drowned out when several of the puppy coyotes around her began speaking up with excited assortments of 'yes, yes! show us, Umi!'.

Umi takes a few leaps backward, until he's standing several feet away, and faces the tree Manabu-sensei and Akio were on. Manabu-sensei's hands were in a single sign, and he was readying his chakra to spit out another water jutsu at the coyote who had, once again, managed to jump up onto the branch closest to the ground.

There's a tense silence, something shifts in the air, and then Umi throws his head back, opens his jaws wide, and a _gigantic fireball_ comes out along with a roar from the coyote himself.

There is a split second of absolute shock on Manabu-sensei's face before he grabs the small coyote on the tree with him by the scruff of his fur, then jumps several feet away from the tree, and away from the giant fireball coming towards it.

Umi looks back at the crowd of pups and one little human girl, and he is grinning so wide, so _proud of himself,_ that Rae can't help the excited, childlike grin that spreads on her own face. All of the coyote pups around her begin going wild with excitement, a few of them let loose one of their own affinity jutsus - she definitely got a few burns and she got her knees skinned a bit when Earth went flying around, and she almost got caught in that one Wind jutsu Kira had thrown around, but she was excited the entire time.

When each of the pups stop running around and they look back at her expectantly, she grins and puts her hands together in a seal she'd gotten all too used to.

Facing off to the side, she lets a medium sized water bullet pass through her lips, and it creates a large dent in the ground a few feet away from her.

There's silence for only a split second, then they're all roaring and barking and excited laughing once again.

And for once, when Rae looks back at the Desert colored coyote pups, seeing them push each other around with a smile, and when she sees them wreaking havoc upon her usual training ground, she can't help but feel as if she's there again.

She feels at home again.

* * *

((A/N: Nice.

As mentioned above, there are quite a few new names to remember here. But, also mentioned above, these coyote pups are going to be taking up a lot of Rae's time from here on out, so you'll have plenty of time to learn their names and faces.

Question!: Which one of the Pups is your favorite so far?

I'm gonna be having a lot of fun including so many baby coyotes into Rae's life. It's going to be hectic for a while, and after a while you're going to see just how cool it is when a bunch of different affinity users get together to do something amazing. It'll be cool. Super cool.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter!

See you next time! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	28. Fire and Explanations

((A/N: Hey! Another chapter! We're almost at 30 chapters haha. Wow. Never expected to write this much for one story, yknow? Anyway, I'll get into the review responses and then right into the chapter!

Ori Heartlyng- oh no he's totally fine! He was just scared being in the house alone so I called a friend of mine and asked him to stay with my bro. It's all good. Thanks for the well wishes anyway, that's sweet of you!

PhoenixAshes42- More Itachi time, as you requested! Itachi in this chapter since you asked so kindly u3u

There's lots of Uchiha-ness in this chapter, and the next chapter should have some more baby Naruto in it, and we'll have some Jirouko time too. I feel like she's been so busy with Clan training that she hasn't been able to see her babies anymore, so the next few chapters will have babies in it - human babies and coyote babies, of course.

Also I don't know if you guys realized this or not but this story not have over 200 followers? wtf. Anyway, I don't really know what to do as celebration bc I don't have my tablet so I can't make art for you guys or anything, so I decided I'll just work on a bunch of omakes and post it over in my Naruto Tidbits story. Maybe that'll be a cool celebration? Eh.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Rae watches the scene in front of her with something akin to horror growing in her stomach. It had started as a wary, fleeting thought of 'shit, shit, how do I fix this-' and had grown like a damn tree until she was practically screaming inside her own mind. And yet, the only thing that could really come to her mind right then, was 'oops'.

She was in the Uchiha Compound, in the backyard of the Main House. Fugaku was away, _thank Kami,_ and Mikoto was, as usual, left home to deal with her two sons by herself. At least, she was alone, until Rae came around.

With her litter of coyote pups following her.

The twenty four hours haven't gone up, yet, so she was being forced to spend more time with them. She didn't mind, most of the time at least. Some of them were really great company, and despite how obnoxious or crude some of them could be - _cough, cough, Akio, cough_ \- she still enjoyed being around them for the most part. They were family now, and even if they felt less like a family to her and more like a bunch of children she was stuck babysitting, she knew the family feeling would come in time.

However, when she remembered half way through splashing around in the mud with them, that she had Fire Jutsu training at the Uchiha Compound, she had inwardly panicked. Manabu-sensei had snickered at her, then told her in a faux serious tone that introducing the coyote pups to her friends would be for the best.

So she took them to the Uchiha Compound with her.

Only, as usual, she didn't know where to find her current Fire nijutsu sensei, so she went down to find Itachi instead. Itachi was a friend, so surely she could introduce him to her new 'family', right? Nothing could go wrong, right? They'd play, he'd show off his amazing fire jutsus or do some cool kunai throwing for them, they'd all be in awe and a few might even worship him a bit, but it'd all be fine... Right?

Only, it didn't happen like that.

Rae had seriously overestimated how good a bunch of puppies would act in a new environment.

Umi was on the roof. Akio and Kira were trying to follow him up, scratching up the walls with their claws as they went. Ari was sneaking away little slips of meat from the counter whenever Mikoto wasn't looking. Tsuru and Ahiru were the only ones being mildly behaved in this situation, as they were both in the middle of a very serious looking discussion about what bugs were the slimiest, with Sasuke of all people. Inu was simpering in the time out corner after he had peed on Sasuke's slippers - Rae had very discreetly rubbed given him a thumbs up for that one.

Itachi was staring at all of the commotion with a faint sort of resigned grief on his face, and Rae wonders if he always looked this tired or if it was just her.

"So, how have you been, 'Tachi?" Rae grinned, trying her hardest not to notice the bubbling panic rising up in her stomach. She really didn't want any of the Uchihas to be angry at her, so she hoped that if anyone _did_ get angry, they'd be angry at the coyotes.

No, wait, that felt kind of like pushing them under the bus. Family wasn't supposed to do that.

Itachi turned and leveled her with his best 'are you kidding me' look, and Rae gulped audibly, nervous smile still on her face.

"I didn't know you were interested in summons, Kei-kun."

She shrugged, scratching at her arm half heartedly.

"I didn't really know I was interested in it either, honestly. Manabu-sensei only told me about them recently, and technically I haven't even signed the contract for them yet. Consider this... ah, I dunno, pre-contract training? I have to spend time with these guys because they're gonna train and be raised beside me or something."

He blinked, then nodded slowly.

"Like a second family," he mused, looking back at the coyotes currently trying to hop up onto the roof. Akio was up there now, laughing down at Kira when she failed to jump up high enough to land up there with him. He promptly fell over when Umi came up behind him and jumped on him. They both tumbled down off the roof and onto the ground, and while Rae might have felt a momentary panic about seeing them fall from such a height a few days ago, she knew now that coyotes were made of some pretty tough stuff.

Plus, it was pretty funny that now Kira was the one laughing down at him while she stood on the roof on her own.

"More like a _third_ family," Rae grumbled. Itachi heard, though, and simply let out a silent nod in agreement. He knew how she felt about Konoha, and how she felt about Suna. Suna would always be her first home, and her first family was there. So, really, Konoha was more like a second family to her. Now she had a third. Rae lets out a tired sigh. So many families, so many people to keep up with.

Then Itachi looked off to the side, radiating curiosity, and Rae's eyes followed his. She scowled.

"Where do you think they're going?" He asked, watching Sasuke's retreating form with mild curiosity, disappearing into the forest beside their home. Rae was staring at the spiky tufts of brown fur that was following him, though, with a wary expression of defeat.

"They were talking about _bugs,_ what do you think they're gonna go do in a forest?"

Itachi looked pensive for a second, before his face soured.

"Oh."

She nods.

"Oh indeed."

She stands, wiping the dirt off of her knees where she had been kneeling on the wooden patio with her Uchiha friend, and looks down at Itachi.

"I don't wanna be covered in bugs when they come back, so I'm going inside to see if Mikoto-sama made some food. Wanna come with?"

He nodded without a second of hesitation, and stood up beside her. His clothing was significantly cleaner than hers, considering she was wearing the same muddy outfit she had been wearing a few hours before. She hadn't even thought to change her clothes before leaving for the Uchiha Compound - a sign that she was getting rather comfortable around them. She didn't know how she felt about this. On the one hand, she trusted Itachi more than she trusted anybody else in this village, and that was a hard fact. Hell, she probably trusted that boy more than she trusted her own judgement most days. He was an honest, loyal kid, and she felt like there was nothing she had to hide from him.

On the other hand, Itachi was the only Uchiha that she felt that way about.

Don't get her wrong, Mikoto is a calming presence in her mind and she loves the little booger that is Sasuke, but she simply doesn't _implicitly_ trust them with her secrets like she does with Itachi. Don't even get her started on the amount of anxiety the brick wall that is known as Fugaku causes her.

So, yes, she didn't know how to feel about her level of comfort around the Uchihas.

"Can I use your bathroom to wash up, Mikoto-sama?" She asks the busy woman. Mikoto was attempting to cook a meal for all of them - _all of them, Coyotes included_ \- but Ari, being the sneakiest and oldest of the bunch of pups, decided it was her job to sneak away slips of food whenever she could. Mikoto was too kind hearted to whack the misbehaving animal on the nose whenever she came around, so she was simply cooking more. She didn't seem to mind it, however much she may complain about it under her breath.

Rae thinks perhaps Mikoto misses having babies around, even if they weren't human babies. She briefly wonders if her home was this hectic and busy when Itachi or Sasuke was a baby.

Probably not with Itachi, honestly.

"Of course, Kei-kun! If you're willing to wear some of Itachi's clothes, you could take a bath upstairs."

Rae looked over her shoulder. Itachi, despite pretending to be not listening in on their conversation, was inching away slowly with red ears. She grinned.

"Sure! A bath sounds nice. I've been moving around in mud all day, uck!"

Itachi's shoulders fell dejectedly.

* * *

Rae tries not to be in the bath for too long. As nice as it would be to escape from the hell of being surrounded by seven rowdy coyote pups and one human baby - Sasuke, of course - she was not cruel enough to leave all of that to Mikoto or Itachi, eventfully considered the only two mature people around while Rae was gone.

So, getting out of the warm water roughly fifteen minutes later was a chore for her, but it was a chore she got done.

When she began putting on the clothing given to her a few moments ago, however, she pauses. Itachi was growing already, and in the months that she's known him he had shot up a few inches already. She was still clinging onto the last threads of her height, but he was already an inch taller than her by now. His clothes would fit, not problem, but it still made her sour to think of the way the black shirt was just barely big enough to occasionally slip down her shoulder. Not enough to be considered inappropriate, but enough for her to be constantly reminded that she was no longer taller than her Uchiha companion.

Donning the high collared black shirt and the black shorts that reached just past her knees, she padded out of the warm bathroom silently and into the cold hallway. It wasn't really cold, not all that much at least, but the room had been steamed up with warm air and so the rest of the world felt so much colder to her now.

She padded down the wooden steps with only slight creaking, and paused when she noticed the noises.

Or, rather, the lack of noises.

She was suddenly very wary, and jumped down the last few steps altogether. Feeling rather proud of the fact that she didn't stumble when she landed, she looked around cautiously.

They were all asleep.

Rae looked around at the pile of sleeping creatures. She could clearly see where Umi and Kira were, as they both had differently colored fur than the rest, but all of the other coyotes spiky, brown tufts of fur blended in with each other until it looked like one large lump of brown fur. Sasuke was there, too, laying on top of one of the many bodies of brown fur, while Tsuru's head rested in his lap. His chubby hand was resting on the back of one of the others pups, as if he had fallen asleep while in the process of petting one of them. Aside from the occasional whine in their sleep, it was silent as they all dozed in one big puppy pile.

Rae stared, wide eyed.

 _How. How did Mikoto make them all calm down in the fifteen minutes I was gone, when I've been trying for over ten hours?!_

She chalked it up to the fact that Mikoto had to raise Sasuke. He had enough energy in him to last for days. Of course she'd be able to put a bunch of pups to sleep with her mothering skills.

Rae looked around the room, suddenly uncomfortable at the idea of staring at a four year old boy sleep. No matter how cute the scene was, it was still creepy. So, she tiptoed around the pile and made her way to the front door. Mikoto and Itachi weren't in the room with them, and when she made her way to the front, she saw Itachi's slippers were still there by the front door while his blue sandals were missing. He must have left the house, then.

She grumbles about being left behind as she stuffs her sandals onto her feet, occasionally pushing Itachi's shirt higher up onto her shoulders.

She shuts the front door behind her silently in the hopes of not waking up the sleeping children, both animal and human alike, and began jogging out of the house's front gates. When she was past the gates and she was certain they wouldn't wake up with every little noise she made, she grinned and began running away from the house.

She made her way through a few twists and turns that were slightly familiar to her by now, and her grin widened when she came upon a familiar scene.

Her Uchiha teacher was standing in the center of the clear training grounds, arms crossed across his chest with a scowl on his features. Honestly, she was too used to Manabu-sensei for it to really work on her, so she simply let out a sheepish wave and made her way over to him.

"Sorry I'm late Sensei, I had to take a bath at Mikoto-sama's house."

He blinked at the excuse, then sighed roughly. He was probably used to her ridiculous excuses by now, even if it's only been two days.

"Today we'll be learning more on the fireball jutsu, the basic Fire Jutsu that every Uchiha is pushed to learn."

Rae grinned.

"You won't be doing it today, though."

She pouted.

She knew, of course. Her Uchiha teacher never really had let her do any of the Fire Jutsus he had been teaching her. He would talk about it for an hour or so, make sure she was listening, demonstrate the jutsu, and then crush her hopes and dreams whenever she asked if she could do it, too. She pouted every time. Kenta had let her do water jutsu from the very beginning, so why couldn't she do fire jutsus? Why were the two so different that she wasn't allowed to even begin one of them when she already excelled in the other?

"Do you understand, Kei-sama?"

She pouted, but nodded along anyway.

"Hai, Satoshi-sensei."

* * *

And so passed her Fire Ninjutsu training. She did none of the Jutsus, simply watching an jotting down a few things in her mind that she thought was interesting, and watched Satoshi-sensei do all the cool jutsus.

Nearly an hour and a half passed like that, and Rae wondered if the Coyotes would be alright without her. Now, don't get her wrong, she isn't foolish enough to think that they couldn't handle themselves. They may not be a functioning team right now, and they sure as hell aren't very strategic when it comes to thinking things through, but should it ever come down to it, they do know how to protect themselves and each other.

Not to mention a fair few of them knew a few nasty jutsus to throw around. She knows for a fact she could have gotten seriously injured when she had gotten stuck in one of Akio's Earth Jutsus, if it weren't for Ari managing to bite him into submission before the damn pup felt the need to drop half the clearing onto her head.

"Are you paying attention, Kei-sama?" An irritable voice comes from above her. Rae startles in her seat on the ground and looks up at the voice, only slightly cringing away at Satoshi-sensei's angry scowl.

His scowl was a little more fierce than Manabu-sensei's was, mostly because Manabu-sensei just always _looked_ angry, while Satoshi-sensei really _was_ angry.

He sighed, crossing his arms and looking down at her with the typical Uchiha Look. You know the look. The one that made everyone feel so insignificant to them? Yeah, that one.

"I _said_ to attempt the Jutsu, but if you weren't listening..."

Rae startles again, but this time out of sheer surprise rather than simply being caught off guard. She immediately jumps up to her feet, her hands clenched into fists by her side and a wide, wide grin on her features.

"No, no, no! I was listening! Show me the Jutsu, I can totally do it!"

Satoshi-sensei looked like he either wanted to be smug about getting her to pay attention, or have an aneurism from her enthusiasm. _Ugh, happiness, I'm going to die,_ Rae mentally mocks, but she lets none of that slip onto her face in the fear that he might catch onto it and not let her do a Fire Jutsu.

He sighs roughly, but begins to repeat the hand signs needed for whatever jutsu he was about to show her.

Rae copies them excitedly. _Finally,_ finally after waiting for so long - for three days, that is - she would finally get to do a fire jutsu! There was an enourmous amount of excitement and joy in her at the idea of getting to learn two separate nature affinities, something that most couldn't do well into their Chunin or even Jounin lives. She was doing it before she was even a _Genin._ She felt giddy about the idea of being able to show off something like this.

Then she thought of her sister, and her grin promptly fell.

...What would her fire look like? Rae never learned why exactly Kamiko Shimizu was called the White Flame of Konoha. She didn't know if it was simply a monikor, a title for a technique that she had used a few times, or if it had something to do with her actual flames itself. She already knew her sister had a Fire affinity. Would Rae's fire come out white? Would it be the normal bright red?

She is yanked from her thoughts when Satoshi-sensei opens his mouth and exhales a steady stream of hot, bright red fire. It reaches a few meters and disappears as quickly as it appears, lighting the small wooden log that he had been aiming at on fire. He wastes no time in turning to look at Rae expectantly.

She takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly. She hadn't molded the chakra yet, hadn't done the hand signs yet, so it wasn't a breath of fire. Satoshi-sensei looked a little less than patient at the moment, however, and Rae gulped as she begins molding her chakra with the hand signs.

She pauses at the last sign. Her fingers bent in the Horse sign, she lets her eyes widen as she holds her breath - _she wasn't going to make the same mistake she made the first time she tried spitting a jutsu out_ \- and _feels_ the chakra swirling inside of her.

This was not the same as Water chakra. Water chakra was cold, feeling as if icy waves after waves were crashing into her body when she molded that kind of chakra.

This chakra... it was _warm._ So smooth and soft and _warm._ It encompassed her entire body, although it was much hotter in the center of her stomach, where she knew from Manabu-sensei's teachings that her chakra usually pooled. Her entire body warmed up in an instant, as if she were sitting in front of a camp fire on a cold night. It was comforting and the warmth spread over her like a soft blanket.

She inhaled, then exhaled.

A small stream of fire flew from her lips, close enough to her face to crack her lips in the excessive heat. It was a small stream, not even half as large as the stream of fire Satoshi-sensei had used. It was not nearly as wide or as hot as his had been when he used the Fire jutsu, either.

But most of all, it was not red.

She looked on in an odd kind of fascination at the oddly colored fire. She cut off the jutsu before her breath was even finished, lowing her hands and cutting off all chakra past her lungs. She looked off to the side at her current Uchiha teacher in question, and he looked back at her with an odd expression. Not fear, not anger, and not even confusion. Just a contemplative look, as if a theory he had held had suddenly just been proven and he didn't know whether he liked it or not.

"So it is true, then," he begins, his voice having the same odd sort of contemplation to it that his face held. His eyes spun, then, and they turned from the usual Uchiha black to a deep shade of red that Rae recognized as the Sharingan. He looked at the flames on the other side of the clearing, then looked back at her, as if he was seeing something else for a second.

Seeing _someone_ else for a second.

"You are the younger sibling to Kamiko Shimizu."

Rae paused, and her brows furrowed. Was there ever any question that she was? She hadn't known people were doubting whether or not she was Kamiko's younger sister. Then she thought _why does that matter._

She was pretty sure the 'White Flame' of Konoha did not have _blue fire._

"W-why is that important?"

Rae curses herself out mentally for stuttering. Now was the worst time of all to appear weak, especially in front of an Uchiha of all people. The damn people could smell the blood in the water - or, rather, she supposed they could _see_ the blood in the water from a mile away.

Satoshi-sensei looked at her quizzically, before closing his eyes and letting out a tired sigh. He opened them again and they were back to being the normal shade of dark onyx.

"Has anyone ever spoken to you about your sister? Since you came back, I mean."

She shakes her head no, still confused and on edge. Satoshi-sensei was one of the people who knew of her memory loss, which would explain why he would have to ask if anyone else has told her about her sister. Rae didn't really know if her memory loss was supposed to be kept a secret or not, but she didn't see why someone would want to keep something like that a secret. She didn't mind people knowing she was not Keiko.

His brows furrow, and for just a second he looks angry. Not at her, though, and Rae can't place who he must be feeling angry at. She feels angry too.

"Sit," he commands, and she promptly does so in the exact spot she was standing in. He crosses his arms over his chest and opens his mouth to speak. He's silent for a moment, closes his mouth to swallow, then begins again.

"Kamiko Shimizu was known as the White Flame of Konoha for a reason." Duh, she knew that already. His eyes narrowed on her, as if he could tell she was thinking that, and she quickly looked down. He continued after a moment of silence. "The _Hakuen_ _Technique_ was why. When your sister was young, younger than you are now, the Third Shinobi War broke out across the Nations. It started small, a few sabotages here, an assassination there. Things that could be ignored."

Rae makes a face at the idea of someone ignoring an assassination, but she's silent as she allows the older man to continue.

"But when it got worse, much worse, many young children were sent out to fight in the war. Some as back up, and some, on the front lines. Your sister was one of the few young ones who were unfortunate enough to have been chosen to fight on the front lines. This was because she had shown potential. She was _powerful._ Because of it, she was sent out to kill other children half her age. It was a terrible, bloody life for a child that young, but it was her duty, and she accepted it.

"She fought, and killed, and she lived. She hated it, but she did it. However, the fact that she survived the front lines of war meant that she was strong enough for war, so she was sent out again and again."

He hesitates for a moment then, and Rae feels curious enough to look up at him. He looked angry again.

"She was nine years old when she invented the Hakuen. The 'White Flames'. Did anyone ever tell you that she had both a Fire and Water affinity, like you do?" He didn't wait for a nod or a shake of the head, and continued on. "Her fire came out blue, just like yours does. Then, one day, her squad was hit by something.. something rather powerful. It was too much for her team to take on, and though they sent for backup, it was not enough. Nearly her entire squad died. A scarce few survived, her included. When your sister saw the death of her comrades, the death of the people she had been forced to look after for so long, a new power awoke.

"For the longest time, people thought it had to be a Kekkai Genkai, a bloodline ability. There was no way someone could one day wake up and start spewing out fire hot enough to burn the water right out of the air. Hell," he gave a single, wry laugh. "A few compared it to the Sharingan. A powerful ability that would only awaken when someone has reached the peak of their emotions. But, I am not telling you this to discuss what that power was or how it came to be. The point is, she started using white flames. It was an accident the first time, but she learned from it. She honed this new ability of hers, until it was something people learned to fear. It took a lot of her chakra, for sure, but it could decimate entire camps of our enemies in one fell swoop... But there was one flame that she could not perfect. The last Fire Jutsu she ever did. Tell me, do you know _how_ your sister died?"

Rae shakes her head no slowly, trying to wrap her mind around everything she was being told. What did he mean, she just suddenly woke up with white fire one day? Was it not something she _learned_ to do? Was it really a bloodline ability? Would _she_ have it one day? _Why does Satoshi-sensei know all of this?_

"She died because she went up against something powerful - the same powerful thing that killed nearly her entire team when she was nine years old. She knew, then, that she could not defeat it with simple fire jutsus alone. She distracted it, and her allies fell back. They trusted her. Their trust was not misplaced. She saved their lives that day, by giving up her own.

" _Shirou Bakudan._ The first time she ever used it was also the last time she ever used it. The White Bomb. Not a very creative name, I know, but it was what she deigned to call it whenever she spoke of it, so it was what everyone knew it by."

Silence. Rae hesitates, but she finally manages to lift her head to look into the dark, dark eyes of her sensei. He looked at her, without _seeing_ her. She wondered if he was seeing her sister now, in her place. There was a pained expression in his eyes.

"What... what did it do..?" Rae speaks, her voice cracks halfway through. She doesn't even have the mind to hate herself for how weak she sounded in that instance. Curiosity burned in her, but most of all, a swirling of other emotions she could not place took root in her chest, squeezing until her heart ached for some unfathomable reason. Satoshi-sensei looked down at her, and for just a split second, she thought he felt the same aching in his heart she was feeling. He opened his mouth to speak, and his eyes darkened with an unspoken and unseen memory of something she knew not of.

"It killed everything."

* * *

((A/N: Um. Ta-da? I don't know how I feel about this chapter? I wanted to talk a little more about Kamiko without giving too much away, and it feels kind of _eh_ to me. Whatever. Let me know what you guys think about it instead.

This chapter had very little in the way of her coyote buddies, I know, but since they're going to be in literally almost _every_ chapter afterwards, I think that's okay from time to time lol.

Question!: What do you think this 'something powerful' that Kamiko went up against was? Hint: it's not an original creature. It's something that is canonically in the show and manga both 8)

ALSO, as mentioned above, I'll be writing several omakes for my side story, Naruto Tidbits! INCLUDING AN OMAKE ABOUT KAMIKO :D So go read it when it's done! Which should either be tonight or tomorrow, since I am _filled_ with ideas to write about Kamiko and her life. l

See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	29. Sunshine and Puppy Piles

((A/N: I'm back with another chapter (: For some reason, the idea of being at 30 chapters is kind of exciting for me. Probably because I've never spent this much time on any of my other stories before. The most I've gotten to was, like, 27 chapters I think? So this is great. It makes me happy. Responses to reviews!

Ori Heartlyng- You are scary good with your predictions, you know that? I read your review over at my Naruto Tidbits story, and I wanna say that you're kind of right. In a way, she did kind of commit suicide. She did, after all, willingly use a jutsu she knew she would most likely not live from doing, which would be why she sent all the others away and said she'd be the distraction for them. Also, for your review for the last chapter - you actually made the closest guesses so far! You weren't exactly right, but wow you were closer than everybody else. I'm afraid you might figure out the end of this story before even I do if you continue at this rate.

Tsukiyomi-Hio- I don't consider it to be a spoil or anything, and it literally gets answered in this very chapter, so I guess I can tell you. Yeah, Satoshi knew Kamiko personally. He was on the squad with her when she was nine years old and she went up against something powerful for the first time, and he was on the squad with her when she died. If Kamiko was alive today she'd be just a few years younger than him right now.

As promised, here's some baby Naruto! Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

It's a week later when she finally sees Naruto again.

She had already started her training with the Coyotes at that point. Only, it wasn't _really_ training. Manabu-sensei had had a field day when he explained how the only training she could safely do with the pups right now was 'team bonding' which was, you guessed it, _exactly the same as day one._ Basically she was just having the Coyote litter follow her around for a few days a week, and they were all supposed to be learning about each other more and more with each day.

Her training outfit, new and clean and nice smelling - a far cry from what it was a week ago when she first met those little _devils -_ fit her form perfectly. Comfortable but flexible. She wasn't carrying her pouch of weapons with her this time around, however, because she was in the village and she was supposed to _trust_ these people to keep young 'kids' like her safe.

She wanted to scoff. She stayed quiet instead.

Rae trudged up the steps to her pseudo little brother's home slowly, brows furrowed deep in thought.

Her conversation with her Uchiha sensei was still on her mind, even after a week. Even after she saw him two more times after that day, when she had more Fire Jutsu training with him.

Kamiko Shimizu was slowly, ever so slowly, becoming less of a legend in Rae's mind and more like a person. She knows that it's supposed to be that way, that maybe that's what everyone is aiming for - after all, Kamiko was her older sister before - but it still made her pause and think every now and again. Thinking of someone as a legend, as a myth that never truly existed, made it so much easier for her to accept their death. Now, however, when Kamiko was being given a past, a history, and emotions...

It didn't settle well in Rae's mind.

 _"How do you know all of this, Satoshi-sensei?"_ She'd asked. It seemed so odd and out of place, the way her Uchiha teacher spoke of her elder sister. He didn't call her a tool of Konoha, a powerful shinobi that gave their life for the sake of the village like everyone should. He spoke of her as if he knew her personally. He spoke of her as if he had once cared about her.

 _"She was my comrade."_ He had answered. _"I was with her, from when she was nine years old all the way until the very last mission I ever ran with her."_

Of course. He had known her since they were both children - children in the physical sense, that is. Everybody is considered an adult when they wear the Leaf insignia on their forehead.

He'd told her he was four years older than her, and so he had pitied her when he saw how young she was to be on the front lines of a battle. Of a war.

 _"I watched the destruction she made in her death."_

"Nee-chan?"

Rae blinked. Looking up from her feet, she noticed she had stopped walking for a while there. She dragged her eyes up to meet a pair of baby blues, staring at her in curiosity and barely concealed excitement. Naruto grinned.

"You're here! I haven't seen you in, like, forever, Nee-chan! I thought you forgot about me!"

Rae let out a quiet 'oof' when the four year old threw himself into her arms, his head hitting her abdomen rather roughly from their still very obvious height difference. Despite the pain, both physical and emotional, she let a small grin of her own color her features into something lighter. Naruto looked up at her with wide, wide eyes, and he wrapped his arms around her stomach as best as he could.

He wasn't as skinny now as he used to be, she noticed. He was still a rather thin boy for his age, but it no longer looked as though a sharp wind could knock over his frame in a heartbeat. There was more meat on his bones, and he looked healthier. Livelier. Rae had no idea how someone as energetic and lively as Naruto could look even _more_ energetic and lively, but he somehow did it. He was covered in a thin layer of dirt, but it looked less like he _lived_ in the dirt and more like he had just got finished rolling around in it for some reason.

Rae wrapped her own arms around him, and opened her mouth to speak, to tell him she could never, ever forget about someone as good and cute as her little otouto-

-Only to be interrupted by a bunch of howling barks behind her. Her eye twitched and she knew her face fell into something akin to an angry grin.

She turned her head to glance over her shoulder.

Sure enough, right behind her was all seven of her newest 'buddies', all crowding around each other and seeming to snicker at her predicament of being stuck by a four year old boy.

Naruto let out a loud gasp, let go of Rae's stomach, and began running at the group with outstretched, grabby hands, shouting, "PUPPIES!" at the top of his lungs.

They scattered as if someone had just thrown a Fire jutsu their way - all except for one.

Umi, the poor, poor baby boy, tripped over his front paws and landed rather harshly on the ground. He whined when he saw his brothers and sisters abandoning him in favor of running away from the blond little menace of a boy, and Naruto gladly latched onto the opening he saw. He jumped up onto the back of the young Coyote, who was just barely big enough to be ridden by a toddler - not by someone of Naruto's size. Umi's back legs fell underneath him, and he let out a choked 'agh!' when Naruto clutched at the fluffy animal's throat in a bone crushing hug.

"You're so _soft!_ Nee-chan, I didn't know you got doggies!"

Umi turned his desperate green eyes her way, and Rae let out a quiet snigger. It served him right, considering he was the one laughing at her just a moment ago. All six of the others peered at the scene from around corners or under stairs.

"I didn't. I got summons," Rae corrected him happily.

Naruto looked up at her so fast, she swears she can hear his neck crack. She winces.

" _Summons?!_ Is this a _ninja_ doggie?!"

She nods. Umi whines again. There is a distinctively _Akio_ laugh coming from the side somewhere. Rae makes a mental note to introduce him to Naruto next.

"Naruto, how about we go inside so all the _doggies_ can have some water or something? We've been running around all day, I'm sure they're all super hot and tired."

Naruto looks back down at the coyote he was currently crushing under his four year old weight, and when Umi nodded his head enthusiastically, Naruto seemed to gasp in amazement at the idea that the animal under him could _understand_ what they were saying. He immediately jumped up off of the animal, but kept his small hands wrapped firmly in Umi's dark, spiky tufts of fur.

He turned around and grinned up at Rae, then began practically dragging the quietly whining coyote into his apartment, shouting out behind him, "I have milk and ice and water! Whad'dya wanna drink?"

In the silence that followed, Rae grinned. She turned on her heel to level a rather impressive glare - if she does say so herself - at the coyotes still hidden behind walls or under stairs, and a few of them followed the blond boy in. The others flattened their ears and shook their heads.

It took less than a minute for her to drag them in kicking and yapping.

She shuts the door once the last of them is in - Akio really was probably the physically strongest of them all, he was a pain to drag in - and locks it just in case. She doesn't entirely know if any of them knew how to open doors on their own. If the Coyotes had their own style of taijutsu, she was convinced they could do a few things with their paws that most coyotes shouldn't be able to do. Opening human doors included.

She walked right in, comfortable and at home in the place she knew well, and was glad to see he kept it... _somewhat_ clean while she was gone. There was empty ramen packets on the coffee table and a few pairs of dirty chopsticks in the sink, but other than that the only problem she could immediately see was the mud tracks all across the ground and.. and the walls?

There was no way Naruto knew how to walk on walls yet, right?

No, she doubted he was even in the Academy yet... although, now that she thought about it, when _was_ he going to join the Academy? It was obvious he was going to do so, the poor boy was completely infatuated with becoming a shinobi and living the ninja life style. Most children entered the Academy at the age of six, and only a select few could enter sooner. 'Select few' being Clan kids, geniuses, and people who knew the right kinds of people to pull a few strings.

Did Naruto know anyone like that..?

"Oi, Naru-chan," Rae calls idly, looking around the slightly dirty complex and already beginning to pick up pieces of trash lying around.

Naruto let out an indignant squawk at the name, ' _A baby name!_ ' he once told her, and she knew he was listening from wherever he was. Probably in the kitchen getting something for the Coyotes to drink or eat.

"When are you planning on entering the Academy?"

There was a clatter, and something that sounded like Naruto gasping dramatically, before she can hear his little feet pattering away from the kitchen and down the hallway towards his bedroom. Rae blinks down the hall in surprise and confusion, and maybe a little bit of agitation because those were clearly _fresh_ mud prints on the ground.

When he comes out a moment later with a handful of messily folded clothes in his hands, he has his usual large grin on his face. Only, this grin was filled with pride and excitement.

He runs up to her, stops within just a foot or two of her crouched person, and holds out the outfit quickly.

Rae straightens herself back up to get a better look at it without it being shoved in her face.

It was a simple outfit, really. There was an orange, black, and white zip up jacket with the same swirly symbol on it that was usually on his dirty shirts, and a pair of orange and black matching pants. There was also a pair of goggles, green and orange and odd looking in her opinion.

Rae wanted to give him a dead pan look on his choice of wardrobe, but she blinked down at the outfit when a thought flashed through her mind.

It looked like... an Academy outfit...

"That reminds me!" He suddenly shouts, looking even _more_ proud of himself than usual, and he slips the pair of goggles over his eyes and holds one thumb up to point it at his own chest. He puffs it out in pride. "I started the Academy four days ago! I'm gonna be a _real_ ninja, dattabayo!"

She feels the need to correct him on his verbal tick, but it immediately gets drowned out when she realized what he just said.

She openly gapes, and his grin widens.

Without another word, she drops the trash she had collected down onto the ground, and bends down to pick the boy up. He lets out a happy laugh when she wraps her arms around his waist and lifts him up over her head, holding him under his arms with a proud smile on her own face. She lifts him up and up until the light is blocked out by his head, and there is a halo of light surrounding him. He looked like the angel he really was in that moment.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, otouto!" She shouts up at him in the same excited voice he had been using on her. He lets out more happy laughter, and it warms her heart considerably. All thought of before, of Kamiko and Satoshi-sensei, all fly out of her mind at his happy, carefree childish laughter. He drops his clothing on the ground and wraps his own arms around her, finally long enough to just barely touch behind her back, and he wraps his legs around her stomach as she spins them both around in circles.

"I'm gonna be a real ninja!" He shouts, holding on tightly.

"You're gonna be a super good ninja!" She agrees, a laugh in her voice.

"I'mma be the _Hokage!_ "

"You're gonna be the _best Hokage!_ "

They both pretend they don't see the Coyotes looking at them with an odd mixture of emotions on their faces. Rae doesn't even look down in surprise when a few of them come up to them and begin jumping around in excitement.

"Naru-chan is gonna be _Hokage!_ " One of them, Inu probably considering his excited nature, shouted out. He probably didn't even know what the word 'Hokage' meant, and he was only copying the nickname Rae had called Naruto earlier, but it didn't matter. As if the dam had broken, all six of the other coyotes, Akio and his childish bitterness included, all came out and began howling and running around in excitement with them. Even Ahiru, in his usual silent state, was grinning and running around in circles around the two humans in the room.

"Hokage! He's gonna become Hokage!"

"Gonna be the _greatest_ Hokage!"

"The bestest!"

"That's not a word, baka!"

" _THE BESTEST HOKAGE!"_

Rae laughed at their sibling bickering, a few tears in her eyes from her happiness. Naruto was laughing too, although the wetness on her shoulder tells her perhaps he was a little more than just excited. She thinks of how lonely and bitter he had been before she came along - not the same kind of bitter than most were, where they glared and growled and isolated themselves in the physical sense. He had been bitter in the fact that he smiled when he was in pain and he isolated himself in the emotional sense, too afraid to open up in the fear that someone may hurt him in a way he couldn't heal from.

And now, he cried and he laughed over her shoulder because he finally had it. Not just friends, not just people who would smile at him. He had a family now. And if his family consisted of an amnesiac nine year old girl and seven hyper energetic, kind of violent Coyote pups, then his family would be an amnesiac nine year old girl and seven hyper energetic and slightly violent Coyote pups.

They were his family, and they believed in him.

* * *

It took nearly five or six hours, but they had all finally calmed down.

Rae really should have seen that coming, though. What else should she have expected when introducing seven hyper energetic Coyote puppies to one hyper energetic human child?

The ultimate headache, that's what she should have been expecting.

After she had placed Naruto down and told him to run off and play with the Coyotes while she cleaned up and made some food for them all, he had grinned up at her, tears still in his eyes, and had done just that.

She hadn't expected them to make even _more_ of a mess while she was cleaning.

But, once again, she should have been expecting it. She'd been spending nonstop time with those seven coyote pups on and off for a week now. She should have known that Umi and Inu would never be satisfied with just an hour or two of nonstop play with their newest friend - a term Naruto totally had not cried at, by the way, he said so himself. No, they had to go off running around in circles and chewing up the buckets in the bathroom - which was gross, by the way, didn't they know that humans used that for washing themselves in the shower? - while rolling around in the fluffy towels.

A few of them had been audacious enough to try to leave their mark on a few things.

Try being the main word here, as they had gone scampering off with a snigger or two after Rae had threatened to toss them out the _damn window._

She was not going to clean up Coyote pee of all things.

But, back to the main point. It had taken nearly six hours to do so, but all nine of them - seven pups and two humans - were finally, _finally_ laying down in the living room slash bedroom mix. Apparently puppy piles were a thing, no matter how warm it was or how stuffy the pile would get in the process. Naruto had _loved it,_ though, so she couldn't complain too much. The only problem was that they wanted to do a puppy pile while she was still eating, so her plate of food ended up getting hair in it while they all squirmed around, and she certainly noticed a few pink tongues sneaking out to lick up her food or a small jaw appear to take a bite out of something on her plate. After a hefty sigh, she finally just let them have it all, and they'd eaten it up in seconds.

Monsters, the lot of them.

And now, here she sat, being the very center of this puppy pile. She was sitting up, back propped up against Naruto's small bed, with a distinctively blond and brown body in her lap. There were several dark brown bodies surrounding it, and one white body with golden splotches at the far end of it, head buried under one of the other pups' stomach for darkness. Don't forget about the very _human_ pup curled up on the very top of the pile, basically sitting on top of the blond coyote on her lap as he gripped her dark grey shirt in both of his hands. He was snoring openly, mouth wide open with a bit of drool coming out the corner of it. His eyes scrunched up every now and again as if he was trying to squint in his sleep, and Rae snorted quietly at it every time she saw it.

She glanced off to her side, looking out the window by the young blond boy's bed. It was only just now getting dark out, it sure as hell wasn't time to go to bed yet. She had only made lunch for them all earlier. They'd played for hours then promptly fell asleep without even letting her make dinner. She looked down at the pile again.

That seems to be a common occurrence with the litter of coyote pups so far.

From what she learned of them, they seemed to have a limited amount of time where they could run and play for hours on end without stop, only to then promptly pass out where they stood. Most of the time they were only just tired enough to drag themselves into a half formed puppy pile, but she distinctively remembered the one time they had run themselves so hard into the ground that they all fell asleep where they were at the time. Ari had somehow ended up asleep on the top of a tree, however the hell that had happened, and a few others were scattered around like fallen birds. Umi seemed to be the only one who was never tired enough to do so, and he always dragged himself over to either her or one of his litter mates before going to sleep. He obviously had a need for physical attention.

She let out a little sigh, under her breath due to how sensitive the pups' ears were even at this young stage, and let herself fall backwards to rest her upper torso and her head on Naruto's bed. She stared up at the ceiling as she thought.

Ari was still the oldest in both the physical sense and the mental sense. She took charge in a lot of situations, and usually watched things happen from the side. Sometimes she felt childish enough to join in on the silly antics of whatever her siblings were doing, but most of the time she usually just sat back and made sure nobody seriously injured themselves.

Which took a lot, apparently. Coyotes were made of tough stuff. They fell from roofs, bit and scratched at each other, and at one point one of them had jumped off of the side of a small hole, wondering how deep the hole was. They didn't have the chance to find out, of course, because Rae had panicked so hard that she managed to snag the brown pup in time before he actually fell too far. That hole could have been yards deep, for all they knew.

Inu was still the most childish and energetic of them all, followed closely by Umi. The two of them were always together, the same way Ahiru and Tsuru were always found in pairs. Only, Ahiru and Tsuru were the smartest of the group and were often silent or contemplative about things, while Umi and Inu were officially dubbed as the 'disaster pair'. The two of them knew no bounds, and it almost seemed as if their energy _doubled_ every time they got together.

Akio and Kira were the only two pups that Rae found herself often having difficulty with. Not in the same sense that she sometimes found Umi's energetic social attitude to be difficult, and not in the way she sometimes thought Ari could be difficult when she didn't feel like socializing.

Akio was a borderline bully, first of all. His bites were rougher than the others', and sometimes it was enough to break the skin of the other pups. While Manabu-sensei had once told her that that was normal, and they were not only just playing with each other but also training their pain tolerance at the same time, she still felt as though it was a little _too_ rough for them to handle. He was rude most of the time, and though he liked to join his siblings whenever they did something silly and childish, he seemed eager to mock and taunt them whenever they failed at their task. He put himself above them, as if trying to tell the whole world he was better than the rest of them.

Kira was almost anti-social in Rae's opinion. She, like Akio, sometimes went along with her siblings to do dumb things like pups were supposed to do, but she always did it with an air of importance. Like with Akio, she tried to put herself on a pedestal that was _above_ the others. She took on challenges whenever they presented themselves, almost _too_ eagerly. It was her who had tried to jump into the hole that Rae had saved her from. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen it as 'saving her', and when Akio began laughing at her for needing to be saved by a human child, Kira had growled at her and stalked off with her tail between her legs. Her relationship with her had been just a little strained since then.

Kira and Akio were the two youngest pups of the group, so Rae felt as though perhaps they were acting the way they acted because they were so much smaller than the others. Perhaps they felt the need to constantly prove themselves to everyone else, which would definitely explain why Kira was constantly taking any challenge that came her way, no matter how dumb it was. It also certainly explained the way Akio would bite at others if they tried to 'baby' him - telling him it was okay he didn't get something right, or trying to help him do something that the others could do just fine without outside help.

Rae shut her eyes.

Being in a litter with a bunch of proud yet childish Coyote puppies was a little more difficult than she thought it would be. Somehow, she'd thought they'd all have one and the same mind, as if they were all just one Coyote split into seven or something. While the thought seemed ludicrous now, it's what she might have been hoping for back then. It was ridiculous for her to have thought that they'd all be the same, though. She should have known they'd each have their own issues and flaws, just as she had her own imperfections.

With a quiet sigh, Rae let herself drift off with the silent promise to help them. Help them each grow up into something better and stronger than what they are now, and help them get past their imperfections.

And maybe, just maybe, they could help her get past hers as well.

* * *

((A/N: and there we go. Naruto time! And also more Coyote time! A little more insight to how each of the pups acted with her nowadays.

There will be small time skips here and there while I get caught up with Rae's relationships with everyone, and then afterwards there will be one medium-sized skip, which will be roughly 4-5 months or so. So yeah, expect that in a few chapters. After the medium time skip, a few things will start picking up and more than just a few snowballs will begin rolling down their hills...

Question!: What should Rae's first C-ranked mission be after she becomes a Shinobi? Pick a place and an idea and I might take a few suggestions from you guys. As you know, I'm making all this shit up as I go, so ideas are always welcome no matter what! I don't even know if I plan to make her first C-rank go perfectly fine, or if it'll go downhill fast like Naruto's first C-rank. Ideas, ideas.

See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	30. Gravity Defying Hair

((A/N: Ta-daa! The magic 30 that I've been talking about for a while now haha. Responses to reviews:

readthishit- If I had a tablet on me I would totally draw it for you? A shame ): I'll try to remember to draw it after I get my new tablet, whenever that'll be.

Ori Heartlyng- No, no! No need to keep anything to yourself, I was just teasing. I love your reviews, you're like my 'usual' reviewer or something. I look for your review after every chapter lol. Also, the whole Naruto/Gaara/Itachi thing wasn't supposed to be a reminder of her romantic options or anything? It was just the three main characters in the story other than her. Naruto/Rae is like the one thing in the story I don't ship romantically, and it's probably because I love their relationship as pseudo siblings so much. I'm still unsure with Gaara at the moment though. And hm... being on Itachi's team huh? I'll have to see where this goes, considering Itachi is, like, already in ANBU by the time Rae will become a Genin or so. But yknow, maybe. Maybe that'll happen.

May525- Ooo I like the way you think. Getting a mission to go back to Suna and see her precious fams again. I wonder how that'll work out? She's gotten to attached to Konoha I wonder if she'll feel guilty when she sees them again? Ohohohoh I gotta do something with this...

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Another two weeks go by in relative peacefulness. Relative peacefulness being that the Coyotes are somewhat calmer in Konoha now that the place is familiar to them - somewhat familiar, at least.

Rae finds herself hoping the silence will last just a little while longer. She know it won't, though, as it is always proven that something up above is out to get her. It's been quiet and peaceful for nearly two weeks now, and Rae is just _waiting_ for the other shoe to drop at any time. After the first time Naruto met the Coyotes, he'd been insistent she brought them over as often as possible. At one point he asked her if she could lend one of them to her to be a permanent house buddy, and though he gave her his best puppy face, she still denied him his wish.

Especially considering he was asking for Umi.

Call her crazy, but the little clumsy booger was starting to really grow on her, along with the others.

She had seen Itachi again as well, as he had taken to sometimes visiting her at her Fire Jutsu training so he could see his friend some more. Of course, Satoshi-sensei hadn't been too glad about someone interrupting their training time, no matter if the interrupter _is_ his Clan's Heir, but Itachi was smart enough to hide his want to see his friend under the guise of showing her a few tricks every time he came around. Which he really did do, by the way. Her hand signs were quicker than before, and she was able to get out each jutsu just a little faster than the last.

So, yes, everything was relatively peaceful. Not only were the Coyotes calmer around the place, but since Rae's training took a small pause, she was able to go out and visit friends more often than before. She was in a good mood, the sky was sunny, and the world was perfect.

For a while.

"I'm... I'm sorry, what?" Rae asked timidly, her voice sounding smaller than ever. Kazuhiko and Emiko smiled at her from the other side of the table - no, just Kazuhiko. Emiko was smiling, yes, but she was looking down at herself, not at Rae. She found she didn't really care anymore. Emiko's distaste for her was a bitter taste in her mouth, yes, but it was a taste she had become accustomed to after a while.

So she stared openly at her father, then at her mother, then back at her father again, trying to understand what was going on.

Somebody had to be laughing at her from above.

"Your mother is pregnant," Kazuhiko repeats himself, and Rae is torn between scowling - because, hello, it was a rhetorical question, she knew what he really said - or gaping. She did something between the two of them, and she was sure her face looked ridiculous. She didn't mind as long as it got her point across clearly.

She... didn't actually know what that point was.

Emiko was pregnant with another child? What? Why? Why would they have a child now of all times? Well, no, it has been peaceful for a while, so Rae can understand why they would want to have a child right now instead of waiting for chaos to start up again, but...

"...Why?" She squeaks. Her eyes are still wide, and she keeps glancing from her father's eyes down to her mother's stomach, which hadn't even begun to show yet, but the older woman was still happily rubbing her hand over it. Emiko spared her a look with one brow raised, as if silently asking why they would need her permission to have a baby. They really didn't. It still would have been nice to know beforehand.

Kazuhiko lets out a sigh, but it wasn't as tired or as gruff as he usually sounded. He looked a little better than before, actually. She wonders why. Maybe it really was her that was causing him to be so exhausted all the time.

"To be fair, Kei-chan, it wasn't completely planned." It isn't fair of her, but she still lets out a sigh of relief. "But we had entertained the idea for a while. Your mother wanted another child," to replace her, probably. "And this happened... we've decided to go along with it."

Once again, Rae finds herself looking back and forth between her parents. She nods, slowly, after a long stretch of silence.

"O-kay. So, uh," she fidgets in her seat. She really didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, hello, babies?! Babies are the cutest thing, Rae knows that with a one hundred percent clarity, and her opinion on the matter would never change(probably). On the other hand... _babies._ "D-do you know anything? Like, uh, gender, or when it'll be born..?" She asked meekly. She was feeling rather uncomfortable at the moment and she had no idea why. It was just a pregnant woman, nothing to be afraid of.

No, that was bullshit. Pregnant women were terrifying, not even accounting the fact that this woman was her own mother.

Kazuhiko smiles again, and holds his wife's hand in one of his own as he answers.

"May 1st is the expected due date, but it isn't set in stone yet. It's too early to know if it's a boy or a girl, though. We haven't really begun deciding what to name the child either. However," he looked down at Rae again, a question in his eyes. "I do have a question for you. If the baby is a boy, we were going to place another crib in Jirouko's room and move him into there. If it's a girl, though, would you mind if they took your old room...?"

Her old room. Keiko's room.

Rae reverently shook her head no.

"No, no! I don't mind. Will I, ah.. Will I have to move all the stuff out?"

He's silent for a moment, but nods after a stretch of silence.

"Yes, it'll be best if you start moving a few things out of the way. I wouldn't go as far as emptying the entire room just yet, as we don't know if it's a girl or a boy, and I don't want to empty the room if you... might want it back later on." In case you decide to become Keiko again, is what he meant to say. The true meaning underneath his words was rather obvious, even to her.

She nods her head either way.

"I'll start that... this week, I guess.. can I go?"

Kazuhiko looks like there was something else he wanted to say, but, with a pained expression, he nods and lets her go.

She doesn't hesitate to jump out of her seat and run out the front door.

* * *

Rae kicks a stone she sees as she walks along the paved walk way.

Less than an hour ago, she'd gotten the news that she was going to be getting another little sibling. She really didn't mind it that much, but it was still something she found herself thinking heavily about. Jirouko, her only sibling at the moment, was only eleven months old at the moment. He'll be a little over a year older than whoever his little sibling is going to be. Rae will be over ten years older than them when they're born.

She finds herself scowling at the large age gaps. It's as if her parents only decide to have another child when something happens to their last one. First, she hadn't been born until Kamiko was eleven years old and she was fighting in the front lines of the Third Shinobi War. Then Jirouko had been born nine years younger than Rae, and only after she'd been missing for months on end.

The only exception to this 'backup child' rule was the child currently in her mother's womb.

Or maybe this newest child really was another backup. A back up for her, maybe. Jirouko would have been a good back up if she'd ever died or left the village for whatever reason, but Rae thinks with a hint of bitterness that perhaps they've finally wizened up and realized another spare or two wouldn't hurt.

She sniffs, hugging the kimono jacket she wore closer to her body. Her outfit was simple, and not nearly warm enough for the cold weather out. It has yet to begin snowing, but it has been raining on and off for the past few weeks. Her dark blue shirt was long sleeved, and for once she let the sleeves sit at her wrists rather than folding them up to her elbows as she usually did. It felt odd on her arms. Her pants were plain black, and were soft and warm for her legs. She wore her usual dark blue shinobi sandals, and briefly wondered if maybe she could at least change the color of them even if Manabu-sensei didn't want her to change the shoes themselves. Her black and blue kimono jacket was long enough to reach her mid-thighs, and was tied at the stomach with a simple blue obi. The sleeves were long enough to pass her finger tips, and she found herself breathing into the sleeves to warm her hands up as she walked.

Truth be told, she wasn't entirely certain where she was heading. She had just left her home in a hurry to have some time to think for herself. She was pretty sure Kenta might have been following her around at a distance, and the Coyotes were left at home with her parents, so, for the time being, she was alone.

Somewhat alone, she reminds herself, scowling at the hint of dark blue hair following her from a distance. Definitely Kenta.

She sighed.

She hadn't felt like going over to find Itachi. While the thought of talking to the boy himself was a welcoming thought to her, and she definitely felt like getting her thoughts off of her chest with someone she trusted, the idea of having to deal with Sasuke and Mikoto at the moment were not as pleasant. Don't get her wrong, she likes the both of them, but she simply doesn't feel like talking to them.

She hadn't exactly thought of seeking out Naruto either. The boy was busy with school right now - and look at that, the little scoundrel grew up so fast - and she didn't want to be a bother on him. Even though she knew the little ball of energy would be more than glad to see her, and certainly wouldn't think she was being a bother for even a second, she would have still felt guilty about interrupting his studies.

Not that Rae seriously thought he was studying.

But oh well. He was out of the picture at the moment as well.

And as much as she loved her little baby brother, he wasn't exactly capable of talking back to her in a conversation.

So, here Rae was, alone, pretending not to notice her current stalker slash bodyguard, and wondering what to do and where to go.

When she spots a little homey looking book store around the corner, she hums in thought. It looked warm and comforting. The outside was carved from a dark, red tinted wood, and there were two large windows out front on either side of the wooden door. The windows let people see into the building, allowing Rae to look at the bright yellow lights that looked rather warm compared to the slightly darkening sky outside. She stood outside, looking around the place, and sighed. She knew she would go in there, so she simply stopped trying to talk herself into it mentally, and went ahead and walked towards the building.

A bell rang above the door when she opened it, and the sound was small and somewhat pleasant.

Jeez, even the doorbell sounded homey. She briefly wondered if maybe this place had a Genjutsu on it. There was simply no way one small building could look so warm and inviting, could it?

Stepping inside, Rae is pleasantly surprised to feel how warm it really was inside. There clearly had to be heaters somewhere around here, and she grinned as she let the door close behind her. Her face and fingers were cold as all hell, and her toes as well from the stupid, open-toed sandals she was forced to wear, and she rubbed her hands against her face eagerly in order to warm herself.

She stops pretty soon when she sees an elderly woman giving her the stink eye for her behavior across the room. She sticks her tongue out, making her daring escape further into the building when the older woman gasps and looks as if she's ready to throw down for the childish show.

She still snickers, though.

Running her fingers across the book bindings as she walked past aisle by aisle, she hummed a silent tune to herself as she walked. The place had no dust on it, unlike much of the areas in the larger library in the center of the village, and it smelled of old papers and... what was that, cinnamon? Why did the air smell like cinnamon here? She wrinkled her nose, in thought rather than in distaste, and took in a big whiff.

Yes, that was most certainly cinnamon in the air. There was something else there too, but it was too small and barely there that she couldn't quite tell what it was supposed to be. It smelled nice. She took another deep breath in through her nose, and let a small smile color her freezing features.

She stopped when she heard a quiet cough coming from a few feet in front of her.

Lowering her head from where she had been staring at the ceiling, as if it would have helped her recognize the scent better, she looks on ahead to find the owner of the quiet cough. It wasn't a real cough, though, it had been a hint. A nudge to tell her that what she had been doing was a kind of odd thing to do in public.

There was a man there, standing a few feet in front of her and off to the side. He was standing in front of a book shelf, one hand holding an open book in his palm, and the other hand was resting on the binding of another book that was still on the shelf. He wasn't quiet looking at her, but she knew it must have been him who had nudged her vocally to stop doing what she was doing. She narrowed her eyes at him, looking over his appearance silently.

He was wearing a simple black shirt on underneath a dark grey plate of armor that rested snugly over his chest and gave way to a softer looking grey material over his stomach. His shoulders were bare, and he wore long black gloves that went up past his elbow, with white bandages on the top of each glove. He also wore the same dark grey armor on his arms, strapped tightly to ensure his protection from all kinds of blades or other weapons. His dark grey pants were slightly baggy on him, and he wore more bandages on his right thigh as well as a simple black pouch. His boots looked to be tough and sturdy, and went up to just below his knee caps. There was a sheathed katana on his back, and red tattoos on both of his bare shoulders. He had a bit of muscle, and was taller than her by a little over a whole head.

His entire appearance screamed _shinobi._

Rae found that his oddest aspect, however, was his hair. His gravity defying, light grey hair.

He must have felt her staring, because he turned his head just slightly to stare right back at her. His hair seemed to be brushed off to the side to cover his left eye, but Rae could see his Konoha hitai-ate underneath it. Why was he covering his eye? Wouldn't that hinder his movements in battle if he couldn't see to one side of himself?

He blinked almost lazily at her when she failed to say anything, even after he had caught her blatantly staring at his appearance. When she only narrowed her dark blue-red eyes at him further, he gave a somewhat exasperated sigh at her.

"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked, and his voice was muffled through the black mask he wore over the lower half of his face. He sounded bored, as if she was nothing more than a nuisance to him at the moment and he wanted nothing more than for her to disappear from his life. She felt her eye twitch. Obviously he saw it too, as his dark grey eye seemed to take on a slight glint to it. Maybe it was amusement.

She took a step toward him, pausing when he took a half step half shuffle backwards.

She scowled.

"Who're you?" She asked, eyes still narrowed and suspicion in her voice. She really had no reason to be suspicious about him or his behavior - he was a simple shinobi here to look at some books. It wasn't as if reading was for civilians only.

"Who are you?" He shot back, lifting his chin slightly to look down at her over his nose. Yeah, no, there was definite amusement in his lone grey eye. Rae found herself thinking of a certain blue haired ninjutsu spy. The expression really looked a lot like the one Kenta usually wore when she was upset. Why, oh why, did every older male in her life find it so _god damn amusing_ to make her angry? Was she really that entertaining when she got mad? She hoped not. The thought made her even more upset.

She sniffed haughtily.

"Kei Shimizu. Who are you?" She repeated herself after giving out her fake name. Her hair, despite growing out just the slightest ever since she last got it cut on her tenth birthday, was still short enough to pose as a boy. It barely reached just below her ears, and her bangs were still tied back behind her head into a small braid. With a normal hair band, of course. Pink still did not suit her too well.

He narrowed his grey eye at her.

"Is that a boys' name?"

"Of course. I am, after all, a boy."

"No you're not."

She starts at his words. It really isn't all that important to her if someone thinks she's a girl or a boy, not anymore at least, but still... She blinks at him, confusion written clearly on her face.

"What makes you say that?"

He sighs.

"Shimizu is a Clan name. You've got white hair, you're a female of the Clan."

Rae finds herself blinking once again as she digests the information, then her brows furrow when her ears tint red with a bit of embarrassment. Yeah, in hind sight, that is a pretty obvious give away. She supposes she has just been getting lucky with the people she meets. She knows the Shimizu Clan is still carving a spot out for itself in Konoha, and not many people know about the Clan itself or about its' members. Not many people know that white hair is an obvious sign for being a girl in the Clan. Rae had guessed it was only a matter of time before somebody eventually recognized her for who she really was.

"Besides," he begins, a slight bored hum to his voice. "You smell like a girl."

And then the red tint on her ears was spreading to her face. She jumps a little in her spot, and immediately she's scowling, pointing a finger at him rudely.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?! What d'you mean I ' _smell like a girl_ '?!"

He blinks slowly, lazily, at her. As if he doesn't understand why she doesn't understand what he said. There's not much expression in his lone grey eye, except maybe that little bit of amusement still there, but he still narrows his eye at her as he explains to her, slowly, as if she's a child.

"I mean there is a difference between a female's scent and a male's scent. You're female, and have a female scent. Do you understand now, little girl?"

And she doesn't know how to respond for a moment, because he's _so aggravating._

"You should," he begins again, seemingly as if he doesn't understand that she's _seething_ at him from a few feet away. He turns back to the book in his palm, the one on the shelf he had been reaching for earlier now forgotten. "You have a heightened sense of smell too, don't you?"

She pauses. Her face is still red in embarrassment and anger, but she takes a moment to pause and consider his words.

"Heightened sense of smell? No, I don't have one. Why would you think that?"

For the second time in the last few minutes since their conversation had started, he looks exasperated at her slow thinking.

"You can smell it, can't you?" He looks up slightly, not quite at the ceiling but still tilted upwards. He takes in a slow breath through his nose, and Rae pauses. After a second of hesitation, she does the same. Nothing smells different from before, she thinks. It's still the same dusty old book smell that all libraries have, with the hint of cinnamon and something else she couldn't quite place. He tilts his head from its' position of staring up, and looks at her expectantly.

"What? The books? The cinnamon? I can smell those. Can't you smell them too?" He looks both hopeful and disappointed, and she wonders why. He finally turns his body to look down at her - both literally and metaphorically in this instance - and he lets his book close, with his index finger holding his spot so he could continue reading after their conversation was over.

" _Yes,_ " he begins slowly, just like before, and she can feel her confusion wash away bit by bit until her anger is back again. "But nobody _else_ can smell the books and cinnamon. Well..." he pauses, placing a hand to his chin in thought, and glances off to the side where a few people were gathering to discuss books together. Rae follows his eyes and looks over at the people in curiosity. "Maybe a few others might be able to smell the books, but not many. It is a book store after all. But the cinnamon is something nobody else can smell. The owner of the place wears cinnamon and apple perfume, but she went into the back of the store an hour ago."

He turns his steely grey eye to her in thought.

"It's pretty impressive that you can smell it. Do you have ninken by any chance?"

She looks back over at him, her fingers curling and uncurling inside her long jacket's sleeves as she thinks.

"Ninken? No. I have Coyote summons though, but I haven't exactly been contracted with them yet."

He nods his head, his light hair swaying with the movement, and Rae watches him warily. Just a second ago he was insulting her and treating her like a child just for the hell of it, and now he was answering her questions willingly? What?

"It makes sense. You don't have to be permanently contracted with your summons in order to begin getting their attributes. As long as you've spent at least two weeks with them, things like their sense of smell or their sense of hearing will start showing up in you." He opens his eye and peers at her curiously. "Your smell clearly isn't very well refined, if all you could smell was the books and cinnamon."

She pauses.

" _All_ I could smell?" She can't help but take a few steps closer in awe. He doesn't take any steps back like before, but he does peer down at her curiously. "What all can _you_ smell? You have the ninken, right? If you brought them up, you must have 'em, huh?"

He nods.

"Yes, I have ninken. And," he pauses, ripping his eye away from her gaze to look around the room. His gaze was slow and lazy, and his eye was still only half lidded, as if he was _this close_ to falling asleep on his feet, but there were no bags under his eyes. It looked as if that was just his normal appearance, not anything significant or important to note. "I can smell the apple in the air as well. I can smell those people over there, and the weird old lady perfume one of them is wearing. I can smell the books they're holding, I can smell the candy wrapper one of them has in their pocket."

Rae pauses, and takes another large whiff in through her nose. She can smell the dusty old book smell, and the cinnamon scent, and there was still something just at the edge of her senses that she couldn't quite place. The man had mentioned that the owner wore cinnamon and _apple_ perfume. Perhaps that was what she was having difficulty naming?

However, since she was much closer to the man than before, she could also slightly smell him too. His armor on his chest and arms smelled of metal and cleaner, as if he cleaned them often. His clothing had a distinctive smell she couldn't place, but it didn't smell like anything in particular. Perhaps it was just _his_ scent. With a tint to her cheeks, she thought that he smelled kind of nice.

The smell of blood kind of killed that thought, though. He smelled heavily of blood, all over his body and his armor and especially his hands, and Rae wonders if he could smell it too. He must be able to smell it, if his sense of smell was so much better than hers and it was such an obvious scent to her.

When she looks back up at him, she realizes she must have been staring. His eye looks so much darker up close, and he's staring down at her in thought.

Her face barely comes up to his upper torso, and she backs away from him in an embarrassed huff. His eye crinkles in the corner, as if he's smiling in amusement, and she scowls.

"You never told me your name," she bites out.

"You never told me yours," he responds genially. Her eyes narrow, but she answers back either way.

"My name is Rae."

And he smiles again, or at least she thinks he does from the slight crinkling at the corner of his eyes and the way his face mask moves just slightly with the movement of his lips. He shuts his book all the way, finally, and packs it away in the back of his dark pouch on his thigh.

"Kakashi."

* * *

((A/N: as always, this wrote itself, and I guess Rae and Kakashi have met now. :) Also tada! Heightened smelling for Rae! When she actually becomes contracted with the Coyotes, her smell will get better, as well as other aspects of being a Coyote summoner will begin to appear.

Question!: I actually don't have a question for this chapter oops. Feel free to just talk about whatever in the reviews, I guess. Most of all let me know what you think about Rae and Kakashi! I, personally, am getting kind of excited to write their future interactions. I just think it would be really amusing every time the two of them are in the same room with each other.

See you next time! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	31. The Cursed Market

((A/N: yep. It's that time again. For some odd reason, I write a lot when I'm stressed with school and work, which is probably why I've been updating so frequently for a while. It makes me kind of worried about how often I might update when I'm not stressed over school in a few weeks. Hopefully you guys won't kill me if I lull in the updates when school ends in a week or two? Responses to reviews:

royalpurple153- I'm glad you're excited to read the story! I'm excited to write the story!

Lady Artmines Blaine- as I'm typing these responses out I don't know how long it's been since my last update, but hopefully I updated this story fast enough for you!

EmiAikoAnyaAnnaEmma- nope, too bad. I'm typing your full name. I hope you feel shame. Also, hmm... sneaking up on Kakashi and taking his stuff, eh? Doesn't sound very safe... I love it

Ori Heartlyng- Yeah I was kind of considering how I would implement the whole sense of smell thing into this chapter, but then Kakashi came along and fixed all my problems. What a thoughtful dude am I right. Kakashi and Itachi are some of my favorites as well, but probably not the top two like they are for you. Although Kakashi is my anime husband so I guess he's definitely in the top three. Here's the next chapter since you asked so nicely!

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

It's only a week later when she runs into Kakashi a second time.

Their last encounter had ended rather abruptly when that old lady that Rae had stuck her tongue out at had come around and started making a fuss about her manners. Like, a big fuss. They both were kicked out of the shop, and the stupid man with grey hair snickered at her from his aisle in the book store. She had made a vow to herself to get back at him the next time she ever ran into him.

She hadn't expected it to be so soon, though.

"Oi, you."

Rae blinks, lifting her head from the fruit in her hands. She was at the market now - it was an outdoor market, so she was wearing a much warmer jacket than before. Jirouko was swindled in two warm, soft blankets in her arms, and Rae held him close to her chest while she looked at fruit so the baby would stay plenty warm. Even if his pink cheeks were absolutely _adorable._ He would be moving on to wearing actual clothes soon, so she wanted to take a bit more time to adore his chubby little baby face pouting up at her when she wraps him up.

She tilts her head, taking a deep breath in. Ever since her last meeting with the grey haired man, Rae had been using her sense of smell much more often than before. Don't get her wrong, she's constantly smelling things - considering she breathed through her nose and everything - but she had never really stopped to just _smell._ So she's been doing it a lot since then.

She smells blood and cleaner and something else she couldn't place, and she furrows her brow in thought. It was a familiar scent, but she couldn't place where she'd smelled it before.

"I'm right here, you don't have to smell for me," comes a voice directly behind her. Rae nearly screams. She doesn't, and she manages to keep a tight hold on Jirouko so she doesn't accidentally drop him, and she turns on her heel to throw the apple she was carrying at the familiar voice.

He catches it easily in one hand, the other hand in a pocket in his pants, and he peers down at her in amusement.

"An apple? Surely you don't think you could defeat me with that?"

She stares for a moment at the man. Black shirt, grey armor on his chest and arms, dark grey pants and dark boots, and still with bare shoulders even in the cold weather. The same gravity defying grey hair. She scowls when she finally realizes who it was.

"I don't know, with how lazy you constantly look I'd say just about anything could defeat you. Maybe I'll use a piece of grass next time."

His grey eye narrows, but there still a crinkle to the edge of it. He brings the hand from his pocket up and grabs the apple from her, then releases her wrist as he starts tossing it up and down.

"Appearances can be deceiving, you know. You shouldn't just accept things at face value - especially if you want to be a kunoichi."

She sniffs haughtily, turning away slightly as she peers at him from the corner of her eye warily.

"What makes you think I wanna be a kunoichi?"

He stops tossing the apple up and down, holding it in his palm easily. He tilts his head down, his grey hair flopping with the movement. He narrows his lone grey eye and looks her appearance up and down. She was wearing much warmer clothing than what she'd been wearing the last time, with a plain black turtle neck underneath a heavier kimono jacket. The jacket was longer than the last one and reached past her thighs down to just above her knees, giving way to the comfortable dark blue pants she wore, which were tucked into regular shoes. There was no way in hell she was wearing open toed sandals in this weather, so she wore her civilian shoes this time around.

He lifted his eye to look at her again.

"Call it a hunch."

Rae scoffs, huddling Jirouko closer to her chest. He sees the movement, and turns to peer curiously down at the baby. He leans down so his face was next to Jirouko's and his eye goes wide comically. He still seemed lazy somehow, even though his eye was no longer half closed like he was dead on his feet.

"I know people are pressuring women into having kids younger these days, but I didn't think _you'd_ have a baby. What are you, like thirteen?"

He says 'thirteen' with an insulting tone, as if he's calling her even younger than she really is or calling her a baby of some sort. She doesn't know whether to hit him over the head for assuming Jirouko was her baby, or laugh at the fact that he thought calling her thirteen was supposed to be an insult or something. So she scowls at him instead, swatting half heartedly at his face until he leaned away from her little brother.

"How old are you, like thirty?" She retorts, not really responding to his question. His lone grey eye narrows, as if he's well aware of the fact that she didn't respond with how old she actually was, but he responds in a genial tone all the same.

"I'll have you know I'm only half that age, thank you very much."

Rae opens her mouth to retort with something else, but she pauses to quickly do the math in her head.

"What, you're fifteen?"

He rolls his eye with the same exasperation as the first time they'd met, and Rae is suddenly reminded of how much she doesn't like the guy. He's aggravating as all hell and finds it amusing to taunt someone like there's no tomorrow. She hopes he chokes on that apple he's eating - wait, when the hell did he take a bite out of that? She never saw him remove his mask.

"No, I'm sixteen."

"Sixteen times two is thirty two."

"I'm glad to know you can do basic math. I was worried there for a second."

"I would hit you if I wasn't holding this baby."

"Saved from a baby by another baby. Goodie."

She scowls, and moves to kick his leg with her own, but he moves much faster than anticipated. It wasn't much - she hadn't really been intending on trying to hurt him so she was rather slow herself, so he wasn't fast enough to make her eyes go wide or anything. It was still faster than she thought he would be, considering, well. She really had thought he was just a lazy guy.

He nimbly jumps off to the left and reaches his hands out to grab her. At this point, she isn't really thinking and she just automatically makes a move to dodge as if she were sparring with Kenta or Manabu-sensei all over again. She realizes her mistake too late, when she is upside down in the air and her arms are suddenly strangely empty.

She lands down on the ground with an 'oof', her back aching from the somewhat harsh landing, but she's immediately thinking of what happened to Jirouko. She looks up from the ground with wide eyes, which only go wider when she sees the grey haired _annoyance_ holding her little brother in his arms. She notices with a hint of a bitter tone to her thoughts that he's holding Jirouko correctly.

One of his hands reaches up to dance in front of the baby's face, and he speaks happily while still looking down at Jirouko.

"You really should be careful. I hear babies aren't too good at taijutsu." He tilts his head up, his hand pausing in front of Jirouko's laughing face, and looks down at her curiously. "At least not for a few years, I think."

Rae's face tints red in embarrassment, and she hurriedly sits up to lean back on her hands. She raises one hand to point it at him accusatorially and she's reminded of doing the same exact thing the last time the two of them met just a week ago.

"Th-that's _your_ fault! Who _throws_ somebody into the air when they're holding a baby?!"

His answer is as lazy and bored sounding as it always is.

"Who picks a fight with a Jounin shinobi while holding a baby?"

She wants to say more, to yell at him and call him an idiot and maybe try to go and hit him again(without Jirouko this time, of course), but she pauses as she digests his words. A Jounin? So she was right in her thoughts when they'd first met, he is a shinobi. It's not much of a surprise, of course, considering he _did_ admit to her that he had the ninken. It's still something that catches her off guard, of course.

Her face turns a deeper shade of red when she realizes she just tried to fight a Jounin while carrying her baby brother.

He snickers at her. She grits her teeth and looks off to the side, her bangs following the movement. They were down at the moment rather than being tied back into a makeshift ponytail as it usually was, due to how cold it had gotten out she didn't feel like tying her hair back, even if it was just a tiny bit of it. There's silent shuffling in front of her, and Kakashi is moving closer with Jirouko in his hands.

"You're pretty childish."

"You're pretty _stupid._ "

"What a childish response."

"What a dumb hairdo!"

He pauses when he's a foot in front of her, and he looks both completely caught off guard and somewhat offended by her retort. He reaches one hand up to tangle it in his grey hair, and a look of sadness washes over his one eye. He sniffs.

"What's wrong with my hair?" He says in a fake depressed tone. She knows he isn't serious, and she scowls at him. He was so _infuriating._ She opens her mouth to shout at him some more, but he shoves a bundle of baby boy into her face before she can utter a single word at him. She blinks at Jirouko confusedly, even if his smiling, chubby face was adorable.

"Here, take your baby back. I need to get back to work."

She wants to retort with a 'what work? Annoying more girls?', but instead settles for taking Jirouko from his hands and standing up to her full height. She noticed with a bitter expression that she still just barely reached his upper torso, and he must have noticed it too. His silent snickers weren't any less annoying than his obvious ones, but she gives him credit for at least trying to keep his amusement hidden. Even if he's doing an awful job at it.

"I told you before, he's not my baby."

He tilts his head to the side, an action that reminds Rae a hell of a lot like a curious dog. She wonders if it's because of his ninken summons. She wonders if she might start doing that soon.

"No? Who's is he, then?"

"My kaa-san's. He's my brother."

He makes a vague 'ah that makes sense' noise, but takes a step back and turns around without actually saying anything to her. It's only when he's a few feet away and crouching lower to the ground, prepared to take off to the roofs of the market stalls around them, that he turns his head slightly and speaks to her.

"Bye."

And then he's gone in a blur before she can blink.

Rae stares at the space he had just been in not two seconds ago for a moment longer. Then, after realizing what she was doing, she scowled to herself and turned back to the stalls of fresh produce she was standing beside. There were people dawdling about that were staring at her in confusion, awkward fear, and even a few faces held a look of exasperated understanding with a hint of pity. She wonders if some of these people knew Kakashi too. Maybe they pitied her for having to deal with that pain in the neck.

She would pity herself too if she wasn't so infuriated at the older boy.

She turns back to the stalls of fruits and vegetables, and she pouts. She really doesn't feel like shopping anymore.

With a sigh, she continues her shopping trip anyway, because her father was busy with a Clan meeting of some sort at the moment and Emiko was craving some fruit salad. She didn't exactly ask Rae to go buy her some fruit for the salad to be made, because of course she wasn't willing to talk to her own daughter even if it was to alleviate a craving, but Emiko had been complaining about her aches for so long that Rae just wanted to get out of there. At first she'd wanted to just disappear over to Naruto or to the Uchiha Compound, but she decided last second that it would be better to actually find a way to stop her whining rather than having to just deal with it again when she got home later.

She was halfway through the thought of how bitter Emiko was to her - _would she be bitter enough to not even eat the fruit she bought, no matter how much she was craving it?_ \- when she was interrupted yet again. Sighing with an aggravated look in her eyes, she turned on her heels, fully prepared to shout her head off at Kakashi again if he was interrupting her once more not two minutes after he'd just left saying he had work to be doing -

\- Only she doesn't, because Kakashi isn't standing there. A little blond girl is instead.

Rae looks down at the girl with confusion clearly etched onto her features, and the blond girl peers up at her with light blue eyes. They weren't the same icey blue color her mother had, but they were a somewhat comforting blue color. Kind of like Naruto's, but a few shades lighter. Her platinum blond hair was short and brushed neatly until not a single hair was out of place, and her bangs were parted to the sides.

"Is that a baby?" She suddenly speaks in her childish voice, reaching one hand up and pointing it right into Jirouko's face. The baby boy peers at the digit curiously.

Rae blinks again.

"Uh, yeah. His name is Jirouko."

The little girl blinks her soft blue eyes up at her for a second, then a wide grin stretches on her chubby face and she gets closer, peering down at the little bundle of baby in Rae's arms until her nose is practically touching Jirouko's. When Jirouko blinks up at her curiously with his deep blue eyes, the blond girl coos at him excitedly. She wiggles her finger around in front of his face, and the simple action has the baby boy giggling in happiness and trying to reach up to grasp the finger.

"He's adorable! I bet he's gonna be super cute when he grows up, too, isn't that right, Nee-san?"

Rae is thoroughly confused at the situation, especially the part where the little girl is perfectly fine with calling Rae her big sister when they met not ten seconds or so ago, but she can't help but think _yes, yes he is._

"Yeah, I guess he will. Only time can tell though, right..?"

She raises her platinum blond head up to smile at her charmingly, and Rae is taken aback by her seemingly perfect grin. She was an adorable child, perhaps just a tiny eensy bit taller than Naruto or Sasuke, so she must be around four years old like the other two kids were. Her hair was a beautiful shade of blond, and they complimented her eyes very well. Rae already found herself kind of jealous of the beauty this kid was surely going to grow up to be.

"That's right! You're smart, Nee-san!"

"Ah," Rae lets a nervous, albeit genuine, smile color her features. She couldn't help it, this girl was just so social and charming that Rae didn't feel upset or agitated anymore. "Thank you. My name is Rae. You are?"

Her soft blue eyes sparkle, as if she's excited about the fact that somebody else is asking about her, and she opens up her mouth to speak in her childish voice.

"Ino!"

Only that voice didn't belong to her. Or at least Rae was really hoping it wasn't, because it was a deep, definitely male voice that said it. The little girl, _Ino_ , lifted her head when she heard her name being called. She turned around, and Rae followed her gaze to see the keeper of the deep, concerned voice.

A man came running up the two of them, concern and worry clear on his features. He had the same platinum blond that the little girl had, albeit in a few shades darker than hers, and it was tied up in a high ponytail behind his head. His bangs were short and slightly messy, pushed off to both sides by the Konoha hitai-ate he wore on his forehead. There were tired lines etched into his features, and Rae is beginning to think that every parent just gets a hundred times more tired than before when they have kids. His eyes were the same shade of soft blue as the little girl's were, and they peered down at the blond girl in worry.

"Ino-chan, I told you not to wander off without me! You could get lost," he scolds, though his tone is thick with barely concealed concern. Both Rae and the little girl seem to notice it, and Ino grins up at the man instead of taking the warning seriously.

"Tou-chan! Tou-chan, look, I made a friend! She has a baby!"

Rae is kind of confused at what the little girl considers a 'friend' - she definitely didn't consider the girl her friend considering they met, oh, _two minutes ago,_ but she didn't feel like crushing the girl's excited voice, so she wisely stayed silent. Her silence may have also been contributed to the fact that the man changed direction from peering down at his apparent daughter with worry, to down at Rae with suspicion and curiosity.

"A friend? She looks a little old to be a _friend,_ Ino-chan."

Rae gulps audibly, and she can feel the nervousness creeping up on her. She had no idea who the kid was and she had no idea who the father was, but he had one hell of an intimidating stare. She felt like he was pulling her mind apart piece by piece so he could see what her true intentions were with his daughter... Rae recognizes that thought sounded kind of weird even to her, but she doesn't feel like now was the time to laugh aloud at it. He might actually think she was insane.

Ino scowls up at her father, clenching her fists and stamping a foot down onto the ground in a true temper tantrum fashion.

" _You're_ old, tou-chan! Be nice!"

He looks a little guilty for a second, as if he was just properly scolded for bad behavior or something, and instead looks down at the baby in her hands. He raises one brow.

"A baby? I know people were-"

"-it's seriously not mine, he's my brother." Rae knows it's rude to interrupt someone mid sentence, but what he was saying was just so _Kakashi_ like that she felt the tinges of aggravation coming back. She really didn't want to end up trying to kick this guy like she had with that grey haired annoyance, especially not when she felt so intimidated by him. He hadn't even _done_ anything yet but she was scared of him.

He raises a brow again, looking at her instead of the baby, but nods slowly.

"Alright." His hand twitches, like he was about to raise his hand to shake hers, but a quick glance down at the baby she was currently carrying made him change his mind. He settled into a slight bow, enough to be polite but not enough to be _overly_ polite, and introduces himself. "Inoichi Yamanaka. I apologize if my daughter might have caused you any trouble."

She inhales deeply to get her nerves under check - he was still staring right into her soul as if she was going to pull a knife on his adorable little daughter at any moment - but she finally settles into a bow just like his. Maybe a little deeper.

"Kei Shimizu. It's no problem, she was very charming."

She wants to mentally punch herself for using the word 'charming' to describe a little girl. It was something that sounded like it belonged on a description of a man, not an adorable little ball of smiles and soft eyes. However, Ino looks superbly proud of the description, pushing her little chest out and placing her hands on her hips with a proud nod in Rae's direction, and a quick tilt of her head shows that the father was simply looking at her in a knowing fashion.

"Yes, she has quite the personality, hm?"

Rae nods along, very much aware of how Ino closes her eyes and continues nodding with a proud grin, as if she deserved this kind of praise on a daily basis. It makes Rae crack a smile, and when she does so the entire tense atmosphere melts away. Inoichi smiles at her as well, his eyes a little softer than before so she doesn't feel like he's picking apart her brain for reasons to kill her, and Ino jumps up and down excitedly.

"Tou-chan! Can we invite her over? I wanna sit with her at dinner!"

Inoichi looked a little pained suddenly. Rae briefly wonders how much of a difficulty it must be to turn this kid down, considering she put him in place with just a few words a few minutes before hand. She decides to give the poor, tired looking man a break. She was sure he was a good dad, if the soft, loving eyes he turned to his daughter every now and again was anything to go by.

"Actually, I already have plans tonight. Sorry, ah, Ino-chan." She fumbles over what suffix to attach to the girl's name for a second before landing on -chan. She really was charming, her personality just drew people in without hesitation. A social butterfly who would surely grow her colors in, in no time. At Ino's saddened face, she quickly reaches for anything to make the girl feel better. "But, uh, we can probably have lunch together at some point?"

She looks happy again, but her grin kind of held just the slightest bit of a victorious look to them, and Rae has the startling thought that she probably just got played by a child. One glance at her father's knowing, pitying smile tells her that, yep, she just got played.

Sneaky brat.

"Of course!" Ino gives another dazzling smile to the older girl, poking Jirouko's cheek happily. "I can bring over my friend Sakura-chan too! We can have a girl's day together! What do you say, Rae-chan?"

Inoichi sends her a curious glance, and Rae isn't quite sure if it's because his daughter just called her by a different name than what she told him her name was, or because he was genuinely curious about her answer. She gives a nervous chuckle either way, shifting Jirouko in her arms a little bit to keep him from fidgeting in the cold.

"Of course! How about tomorrow, if you're free?"

Please don't be free.

"Sounds great! We can meet up at the Main Park at one! I'll bring Sakura-chan, you can bring food!"

And then she grabs her father's hand and begins tugging him away from Rae and Jirouko. He sends one last pitying look at her, as if he knows how difficult it is to say no to his _charming_ little girl, before he follows her around genially. Rae looks at the retreating backs of the two of them and feels nervousness creep up inside of her again. She turns and glances at the stalls around her, and peers down at the fresh orange in her hand she had picked up before Ino came along. With one wide-eyed look of confusion, she tossed it back in the bin and promptly made her way out of the market area.

Screw it, she would rather deal with her mother's constant whining and complaining. This market was obviously cursed.

* * *

((A/N: Ta-da! Things start moving along a little bit. She'll start meeting some more of the Konoha 12, and afterwards you'll start seeing some canon scenes of their childhoods, then give a few years and bam! Right into the canon beginning. It won't stay canon for long of course, but the beginning might be. Might, because I honestly have no control over this story anymore.

Question!: Who will she meet next, I wonder? It might be Sakura at tomorrow's lunch date, or it might be someone else before that.. who knows. I seriously don't. And should she bring her Coyotes over to the lunch date? I kind of want to but I also think that would be _disastrous._

See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	32. Stalker In A Park

((A/N: Heyyy. Welcome to chapter 32! Responses to reviews:

Moonacre BunBun- too much socializing! Run! Talking to other people burns!

CHARA ATE MY SOUL- honestly ya. Ino is one of the cutest ones out there. More baby Ino for you since you were so nice :)

May525- I volunteer calling Kakashi/Rae "Raeshi". It's sounds pretty cool to me lol. Also yeah this is before main canon's timeline so Kakashi is younger than he was in the anime/manga. And to answer your question, an Omake is basically an extra scene that was never put into the show/story itself. Omake literally means "extra" in Japanese. Basically, it's the little things that you know happened in the show but you never _saw_ happen in the show. That's about all I can really describe it as. You can look it up if you don't understand my explanation.

Now on to the chapter! Enjoy this chapter!))

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"Where are we going?"

Rae can hear her teeth grit together.

"Are we there yet?"

She clenches her fists in the hope that it'll stop her from lashing out.

"I can smell food - is that what you have in that basket? Is it food? Can I have some? I'm hungry -"

" _Umi,_ " Rae bites out through clenched teeth. The small, golden brown coyote pup stopped in his excited bouncing and looked up at her in confusion. His wide green eyes were filled with curiosity, and Rae reigned herself in, knowing he wasn't trying to be annoying on purpose.

He was just naturally annoying.

It isn't fair to him, of course. He's a young puppy and he has a lot of energy that needs to go somewhere. The hundreds of times that he tripped over his own front paws on the way to the park didn't even stop him. He just continued talking as he struggled to stand up on his own. They had to stop and wait for him every time, otherwise they might have to go find him when he ran off on his own.

Ino was already waiting at the Main Park for her - it was nearly one by the time they even left the house and began to make their way to the park to meet up with the young girl and her friend. They had promised to meet up at one o'clock for a picnic, and Rae felt bad knowing that there was absolutely no way they would be able to make it there in time. Hell, she would have been dumbfounded if they were able to make it to the park within an hour of the given time frame.

Umi wasn't even the only one there, of course. Him, Akio, Tsuru, and Ahiru decided to come along with her to meet the two young girls she would be meeting. The other coyote pups didn't seem the least bit interested in going, even if a few of them had some questions about who it was or what they were like. She had just snottily replied with a simple 'come if you're so interested'. None of the others came.

Akio snickered from Rae's left side, staring at Umi as he tripped over himself for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes or so. Rae just sighed exasperatedly and stopped in her track. Tsuru and Ahiru followed suit, even if the latter did give a quiet sigh. Umi sends Akio a withering glare as he begins his usual struggle to climb to his feet.

"Stop laughing at me, you idiot! Like you've never tripped before..."

"At least I don't trip every two seconds!" Akio laughed out bitterly.

Umi gave an angry squawk. "I do _not_ trip every two seconds!"

"No, wait, you're right-" Akio snickered again. "That's too kind- you really trip every half a second!"

Tsuru looked back and forth between the two bickering siblings with wide, curious brown eyes. Ahiru just sighed, as if this was a regular occurrence. Which, honestly, it kind of was. Akio, the bitter younger kid who loved to taunt and verbally bite at others, versus Umi, the proud older boy who never backed down and refused to be insulted without firing something back.

Rae stomped down onto Akio's back paw and sent a witheringly cold glare down at Umi. Both gave a slight whimper - one from pain, the other from fear - before they both shut up rather quickly.

"We're here," Rae announced bitterly. What had she been thinking, taking those two together? Usually Ari or Inu could help tear them apart as they were the two oldest of the bunch. Ari could make them stop by scaring them - her glare was effective as all hell, even with her soft brown eyes - and Inu usually stopped them with happier things. He was good at making people forget their hatred and making them care for each other, even for a small while. Now, however, neither of them were here with her, and she had to deal with this on her own. Hopefully all the time she spent with Ari meant she could effectively silence the two of them with scare tactics when they got out of hand.

Which was every two seconds or so, really.

Umi forgets all bitter anger he was feeling towards his younger siblings in that moment, looking forward with wide green eyes. There, sitting on a wooden bench a few feet away, were two young girls. One of them was instantly recognizable for Rae - platinum blond hair swept back neatly and cleanly parted to the sides with a small purple hair clip, light purple shirt with dark blue pants, a bright grin on her face when she sees Rae coming up the hill. The other, however, was not nearly as recognizable, but certainly eye catching. Wide green eyes looked down at the group moving closer to them, one small hand curled up in front of her face in a shy move, and bright hair held back with a red cloth.

Bright pink hair, that is.

Rae feels herself getting more and more agitated, although not due to the girls' hair or Ino's excited squealing when she sees the pups. Honestly, the day started out pretty badly as it was. Everything else was just the terrible icing on top of the awful cake.

"Hello," Rae lets a small smile color her features anyway, smiling genially down at the girl with pink hair. "You must be Sakura-san, right?" THe young girl's green eyes widen slightly when Rae speaks her name, but she nods along with a small, shy smile on her face.

"Mm! You must be, ah, Rae-chan..?" She tilts her head slightly, looking at Ino from the corner of her eyes. Ino grins along, but she's not paying attention to their conversation.

"Puppies! Oh my gosh, nee-san, I didn't know you had a baby _and_ puppies! Oh, you're so lucky! Tou-chan won't let me have dogs, he says they're too loud and messy and I wouldn't be able to study with them around!" Part way through her rant of her father and puppies, she jumps off the wooden bench and hugs Tsuru and Ahiru close to herself, squealing all the while. Tsuru looked properly embarrassed, and Rae was sure that if coyotes could blush, he probably would be right now. Ahiru, however, looked resigned to his fate of 'cuddle puppy' and flattened his ears against his head.

Rae snorted, but holds back the eye roll.

"Oi, oi! I'm a cute puppy too!"

This time she really does roll her eyes at Umi's loud words. He was clearly getting jealous, even though he'd complained constantly after Naruto had hugged him close and called him a cute puppy too. Sakura lets out a quiet gasp and Ino's eyes go wide. She whirls around on her heels and stares at Umi with a gaping mouth. Then she points one chubby, childish hand at him and grins.

"You can _talk!_ "

Umi puffs out his chest in pride and shuts his green eyes as he grins.

"'Course I can! I'm a Coyote _summon!_ "

Sakura and Ino both turn to look at Rae at the same time with wide, wide eyes and gaping mouths in awe. She sweat drops.

This was going to be terrible.

* * *

It actually wasn't that bad.

Sure, Ino never stopped talking and Sakura was constantly asking questions, but they weren't bad kids. She learned that neither of them were in the academy yet, but Ino was already beginning her Clan training. Sakura was from a civilian family - her father was a career Genin and had been for a long while, but her mother was as civilian as any woman could get. Both of them would start the academy in two years, when they were six.

"Why not start the academy now?" Rae had asked, curious. Naruto had already started the academy at age four, so why would they feel the need to wait another two years? Especially Ino, who would have taken that possibility to become a young, powerful kunoichi with ferocity.

Ino looked at her like she was dumb.

"You can't start the academy until you're six, nee-san. Village rules."

Rae blinked. Naruto very much started the academy already.

She opened her mouth to speak these concerns, but surprisingly, it was Sakura who stopped her.

"Well, that's not completely true, Ino-chan..." she wriggled in her seat shyly, making a sleeping Tsuru yap at her in his sleep and a tired Umi trying to eat what was left in her bento. "Six is the usual age for joining the academy, but you're allowed to join earlier if you have special permission."

"Special permission?" Ino mused aloud, putting a finger to her chin in thought. She snaps her fingers, grinning. "Oh yeah! Like if you're a super genius!"

Sakura nods along, and Rae only frowns further. She loved her pseudo little brother very much, but Naruto was certainly not a super genius. Not the dumbest around for sure, but certainly not the smartest either. She didn't voice these aloud, however, and simply nodded along and sat back against the tree she sat beside. They'd all moved to the cool grass under the shade of a large tree after Rae had arrived. It was one of the rare days where the sun shone freely from behind the clouds, and it cast a warm shine across everything. Rae knew, though, that it wouldn't last for very long, and soon the snow would come.

She was actually rather excited about that part, really. She'd never seen snow before - at least, not that she could remember. There was obviously no snow in Suna, and when she had arrived in Konoha, it was still warm out.

"What about you, nee-san?" Ino asked suddenly, pulling Rae out of her thoughts. She turned her head to stare down at the younger girl rubbing Akio's belly. Akio had gotten sleepy with the rest of his siblings earlier, but he'd demanded he couldn't sleep without being petted - which was bull, by the way. Rae has seen him sleep plenty of time on his own.

"What?"

Ino rolls her baby blue eyes with a dramatic sigh, and Rae lets out a nervous laugh.

"Sorry, sorry, I was just thinking."

"I _said,_ " She begins again, staring Rae down to make sure she was listening this time around. "When did you start the academy? I mean, you _are_ gonna become a shinobi, right, nee-san?"

"Ah," Rae hummed. "Well, yeah, I'm gonna become a shinobi, but I'm not in the academy."

Ino and Sakura both blinked up at her in curiosity.

"I mean," she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I'm training with my Clan, just like you are, Ino. When the Genin exams come up, I'll take them with the other kids, but I won't be training in the academy with them, that's all."

They both looked dumbfounded for a second. Then Ino gasped out loud and crawled right into Rae's lap, an action that had the older girl very confused and a little Akio very grumpy.

"You're a part of a Clan? Really? Which one?"

Sakura crawls closer too, although simply stays by Rae's side, shyly grabbing her hand in her own two, tiny ones as she looks up at the older girl in awe. Rae felt decidedly very uncomfortable under the amazed gazes of both girls. It really wasn't anything special. Seriously.

"Shimizu. I'm the, er..." she hesitates. She was going to say she was the heiress, but she didn't want them to look at her with any more adoration as they already did.

Ino wasn't easily pushed aside, however, and frowns as she thought about something. A tense moment of silence goes by, and Akio settles himself in the center of the small pile the four coyotes had made as they got tired from running around. Rae guesses you can still have a puppy pile without the whole litter, then. Then Ino gasps out loud, and her eyes go wide. Rae startles.

"What? What's wrong?" She asks, worried. Ino looks at her with an intense gaze, one that reminded Rae very much like Ino's father's gaze back in the market.

"You're the heiress with amnesia!"

The words were whispered silently, but all three of the humans present could hear it clearly. Sakura looked confused for a second, before she blinked and looked up at Rae with awe and wonder in her bright green eyes. Rae was just plain confused as all hell. What the hell? How did she figure that out? She literally only said she was a part of the Shimizu Clan.

Ino, apparently sensing her confusion, grinned proudly and began to explain.

"You told my tou-chan that your name was Keiko Shimizu. That's the Shimizu heiress's name! You know, girls gossip a lot around the village? I hear it all the time. Anyway, that's how I learned about how the Shimizu Heiress was kidnapped from her home, like, a year or two ago, and that they found her in Suna with amnesia. Is it really true? You were in Suna? You don't remember anything?"

Ino had grabbed onto the front of Rae's long sleeved kimono jacket tightly as she spoke, leaning in closer and closer until she was whispering right into Rae's face.

"I... uh... yeah..?"

Both girls gasped again, and Sakura sat up straighter, now attempting to climb into Rae's lap beside her blond friend. When they both squashed themselves onto the older girl's lap, they began attacking her with questions left and right. They were speaking too fast for Rae to fully understand, and she didn't even catch what half of the questions were most of the time. She looked back and forth between the two girls talking a mile a minute with wide, wide blue-red eyes. Finally, they both stop talking, looking at Rae with wide, demanding eyes. Demanding for her to answer each and every one of their questions they shot at her. She stares in silent terror for a moment before she opens her mouth to speak, to explain to them she doesn't understand what they were saying, to explain to them she doesn't even understand what's going on herself, and maybe to explain to them that she would love nothing more than to go _back_ to Suna, but-

"Oi, you, kid!"

Both girls on Rae's lap turn their heads toward the voice and all four of the coyote heads shoot up in alarm at the fact that they couldn't hear the owner to the voice coming, but Rae could only freeze. She honestly didn't know whether or not to sigh in relief or scream in frustration.

"Not you two, the other kid," the voice explains when Ino and Sakura both reply with a 'yes sir?'. Both younger girls look at Rae once more in curiosity, wondering what this person needed with her, and Rae could only breathe deeply in a sad attempt to reign herself in again.

She turns her head slowly, and levels the person standing a few feet away from her with the coldest, angriest glare she could possibly muster. One that spoke of both apathy of intent to murder if that person did not leave that instant and leave her be.

Kakashi was not impressed. He sent her an eye-crinkle-smile.

She takes a deep breath in, and Ahiru comes by to stand beside her in comfort. He and Tsuru were the best at telling what she was feeling most of the time, especially when she needed something to calm her down. He nudged her shoulder with his cold snout, and looked back and forth between Kakashi and her. A silent question of what to do, asking if she needed help. She let a small, grateful smile color her features and sighs quietly. No, it's fine. She'll handle this. Ahiru, satisfied, goes to stand beside his three siblings, all tense and on guard.

It really was frightening when someone with a heightened sense of hearing couldn't hear someone sneaking up on them until he was just a few feet away.

"Shoo, shoo," Rae spoke quietly, making a gesture to get the two girls off of her lap. Ino huffed and stood, while Sakura had the decency to look embarrassed for sitting on her lap like a child - which she was, but she was still embarrassed about it. When both children were off of her, Rae stood up, brushing the dirt and grass off of her bottom and legs. When she looked up at the grey haired menace, he was glancing down at her coyotes curiously. Looking over at them, Rae nearly grinned despite her sour mood. The four coyote pups were standing in a protective, loose line in front of her, standing right in between her and the intruder. Akio was the only one with his teeth bared, but they all let silent growls rumble out through their throats. Their positions were tense and on edge, and each of them looked ready to pounce at a moments notice.

"Hey," Rae called out to them, catching their attention. They all looked back at her for orders, confirmation to either back down or attack. "Chill."

And as if they were no longer in danger, they all relaxed at once. Akio sent one last withering glare at the newcomer, but he did not move to attack. Rae moved forward instead, walking towards the older boy with a question written on her agitated features. He glanced back and forth between her and the coyotes, and when she was close enough that they could talk with each other without the others overhearing, he looked down at her incredulously.

"' _Chill'_?"

Rae shrugged, bitter about the fact that her choice of words was being questioned.

"How do _you_ tell your dogs to stand down?"

"By saying ' _stand_ _down_ '." His one grey eye was a little wider than usual, and he looked both very amused and very confused. Rae considered it a win. It was much easier to get him to react to things than it was to make Kenta react to things.

She crossed her arms over her chest anyway and raised her head to look at him in the eyes.

"Are you stalking me?" She asked suddenly. Kakashi looked taken aback by the question, and genuine curiosity flooded his eye for a moment before he seemed to understand what she meant. They'd run into each other on what appeared to be an accident a week ago, in the book store. They spoke, then parted ways. They'd run into each other on what could have been an accident just yesterday in the market, but Rae wasn't entirely certain. They spoke, then parted ways. Then now, Rae was completely certain he had sought her out and hadn't just _accidentally_ run into her.

"Yes," he deadpanned. Rae went beet red, and was about to open her mouth to tell him off for stalking her, but he continued speaking. "I just find you, a little girl, _so beautiful,_ I just had to see where you lived." He looked around the park with his lazy grey eye. "Nice home. Might crash here."

And without another word, he raised his hands behind his head, then fell backwards onto the soft grass. He landed with a soft 'woosh' of the wind, but did not let out any grunts or other noises when he made contact with the ground. Rae stared down at him with wide, confused eyes. He was too much to handle, he just made absolutely _no sense_ to her.

Despite her confusion, she found her usual witty self again and retorted, "Thanks, just got it furnished."

Kakashi cracked open his grey eye and peered up at her curiously, and let out a silent huff of laughter.

"I can tell, it looks just _wonderful._ "

"Thanks," she deadpans dryly. He shuts his eye again, and Rae is left standing in silence for a while. When the silence becomes thick with an uncomfortable awkwardness - at least it was for _her_ \- he sighs dramatically, not to dissimilar to what Ino does, and cracks his eye open once more.

"Well?"

Rae starts.

"Well? _Well what?_ You tell me! You came here and sought _me_ out!"

He raises a brow.

"Awful pretentious of you, to think I would purposely come all the way out here to find you."

Her face goes beet red for a second time that day and she fumes. SHe walks over to his side briskly and, when he peers up at her in simple curiosity, brings out her foot and kicks him as hard as she can in his side. To her surprise, he doesn't move or evade that kick, and his eye goes wide for a moment before it narrows as he lets out a loud ' _ugh_ ' from the pain. He curls up on the side that she kicked and mock-glared up at her as he nursed his wounded side.

"Now what was that for?"

Her brow twitches, and she kicks him again. Only, this time, he does block it. Single handedly. He brings up one of his gloved hands and grabs her foot mid-air, holding onto it with a strength that surprised her. The whole thing threw her off balance and she wobbled dangerously, then promptly fell over when the boy yanked her foot towards him. Her back hits the ground hard enough that she loses her breath for a moment, then the light is blocked out by Kakashi sitting on her stomach. There's a delicate gasp that must have come from Sakura, and an outraged screech from Ino. The four coyotes look nonplussed, due to this being how they act towards each other all the time. Rae had already cleared Kakashi as a friend - even though he definitely _was not_ \- so they obviously thought they were just playing.

She scowls and throws one hand up above her head. Kakashi acts on instinct to catch the hand, and while he's busy doing that Rae uses her other arm to punch him in the gut. He lets out a silent wheeze, but simply grabs that one as well.

Then the two of them are left in stony silence.

"You're an _ass,_ " Rae bites out.

Kakashi raises a brow.

"Aw, you're adorable."

She bucks her hips up without another word, and it throws the older boy off balance. He's only surprised for a split second, but it's all Rae needs to throw both legs up. One of her knees hits him squarely in the back and it throws him forward slightly, right into her other knee that had come up in between them just a second ago. His forehead knocks into her knee rather roughly, and though he lets out a startled yelp, he still doesn't let go of either of her hands. She's beginning to get angry.

"Calm down kiddo! I was only teasing!" Came Kakashi's genial reply, for all the world sounding cheery as if he was meeting up with an old friend, not getting kicked by a girl six years younger than him.

"I'm not a _kid!_ " Rae screeches. She twists her hands in his hold and grabs onto his arms, and when he blinked at her in obvious surprise, she pulled him down as hard as she could. He lurches forward, and Rae twists her body to the side, forcing his face to plant into the ground beside her head roughly. She doesn't pause to gloat in her obvious victory, instead taking it a bit farther. She hooks her leg under his and twists her entire body - their positions flip until Rae is sitting atop his stomach and his arms are pinned underneath her knees.

She grins down at him and raises one arm, feeling the blank numbness of regular chakra pulse through her entire arm before she brings the chakra-covered limb down on the man under her as hard as she could.

Only she doesn't, because suddenly he's gone and Rae finds herself punching a thick log.

It probably hurt and was most likely bleeding now, but she was more surprised by the fact that the entire log just _exploded_ under her arm. She was pretty sure she wasn't strong enough to destroy an entire log with just one punch - but, no. Rae takes a quick glance to her arm, seeing the faint blue outline of her chakra. Yes, she had just attempted to punch Kakashi with a chakra enhanced fist. Oops.

And also yes, the skin on her knuckles were torn open and bleeding now.

Kakashi's laughter rang out from behind her, and Rae scowled.

That fucker.

* * *

((A/N: Oh? What's this? Author-sama actually has a plot idea and isn't bullshitting everything anymore? No way!

But no, I'm still bullshitting my way through the majority of this story. It just so happens that I have an idea of something, something that has already begun happening.

also wow Kakashi you're an ass aren't you. To be fair it's only been 4 years since he lost Obito and killed Rin so I guess it's natural. Shruggo. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I didn't even mean to bring Kakashi into it again, I promise he's not going to show up way too often. But yeah you'll be seeing lots of him from time to time. Also Ino being smart bc she gets too much hate for being a loud fangirl.

Question!: You know how I've been emphasizing the fact that elemental chakra feels different depending on which element you're using? Why do you think that is? What do you think the other elemental chakras will feel like, if she ever used them?

QUESTION 2!: What age do you feel is appropriate for Rae to graduate as a Genin and a Chuunin? Should she graduate early or graduate on time with other students?

Two questions because I wanted to ask them both. Whoops. Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	33. Feeling Left Out

((A/N: I don't have any announcements, so I'll get right into the review responses.

Littlevbigdreams- Really? shit dude I thought it was obvious to everyone I had no idea what I was doing haha. thanks tho!

Moonacre BunBun- I think you're a bit confused, friend. Itachi graduated as a Genin when he was, what, 4-5 years old? He fought in the Third Shinobi War when he was a kid, and he was promoted to Chuunin at 10. He also became ANBU at 10, btw. Anyway, Rae won't be graduating _with_ Itachi, which is why I've already stated she most likely will not be working on a team with him due to their rank differences.

readthishit- Rae is, in fact, a strong independent kunoichi who don't need no man. Doesn't mean I can't ship her with literally every male in her immediate age group tho lol. And yes, all of Rookie 9 will grow up to be super badasses. Especially now that Rae is here to whip them into shape and kick their butts when they get all high and mighty(cough cough neji cough).

Right into the chapter then! Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Rae pauses.

"I'm sorry, what?" She speaks around her mouthful of rice. It's rude and certainly not very ladylike, she knows, but when has this ten year old little girl ever been concerned with being polite and acting like a lady? That's right. Never.

Kenta does not seem perturbed, and instead sighs dramatically - an action Rae can't help but notice a lot of people in her life are doing recently. She briefly wonders if they all have this unspoken rule between them to treat her as a kid as often as possible just to rile her up. Traitors, the lot of them.

"I'm trying for the rank of Jounin," he repeats himself patiently. His eyes are cast forward at the river just a few feet away from them, his bento box packed with today's lunch mostly untouched. Today was one of the days where Rae would spend her evenings training with Kenta, and they had only just sat down for lunch a few moments ago before he suddenly spouted those words.

Rae blinks.

"Okay? I mean, how long is that gonna take? Do you have to go take an exam somewhere, or...?"

Kenta smiles, but there's a small tic in the corner of his eye. Rae wonders if he's actually upset about her not knowing how one becomes a Jounin, or if he's just taunting her again. Surely he knows Rae would spot the minute movement. Her eyesight had gotten better since beginning work with the Coyote pups, and ever since Kakashi had pointed out her sense of smelling, Rae had been testing every one of her senses as best as she could, whenever she could. It made her kind of giddy, in a sense, to know her senses were slowly getting better than the peoples' around her. She didn't know why, exactly, but perhaps it had something to do with pride.

"There is no exam, and I don't need to go anywhere, Kei-sama." Truthfully, the two of them were long past the necessity of using that honorific, but Kenta's ever polite personality depicts that he uses it every time he addresses her. Rae didn't find it too much of an issue to correct it, so they let it be for now. "If you're already Chuunin rank, then there is no need for you to really _prove_ yourself a worthy candidate for the next rank. Therefor, there is no 'Jounin Exams' or anything of the like. All I'm really required to do is get four other Jounin to sign a recommendation saying that they believe I am capable enough to hold the rank of a Jounin. At least two of them have to be strangers to me, however, to make sure that I'm not just going around picking people who are too close to me to be able to properly gauge my skills."

Rae nods along with his words. It makes sense, both the idea that they wouldn't need a Jounin Exam and the idea that two people to give a recommendation had to be a stranger to them.

"Do you think you can make it?" She asked tentatively. She didn't exactly doubt his skills, per se. In fact, quite the opposite. She may joke and prod at him about how distinctly female he looked at times, and she sure as hell wasn't going to stop calling him baka any time soon, but the older boy was far, far more skilled than she was in every aspect. Smarter, stronger, quicker, and more patient and precise than she. Then again, it made sense for their large gap in skills. Kenta was already a Chuunin, now about to ask for the Jounin rank, and Rae wasn't even a Genin yet.

It made her pout, the idea that she still wasn't even considered a shinobi yet, but she didn't dwell on it for long.

Kenta peered down at her, eyes narrowed and mouth slanted in a smug smile.

"Do _you_ think I can make it?"

She huffs and turns away with a pout, ignoring his silent laughter at her response. Skilled or not, the older boy was still as much of a jerk as always.

* * *

Rae's brows furrow down on her forehead and casts a small shadow over her eyes.

"Seriously?" She asks, her voice sounding somewhat meek and small, enough that Rae nearly visibly cringed at her own words.

Itachi looked slightly guilty and a little torn on what to do, but he nodded along. Rae let a childish pout color her features and she looked off to the side, crossing her arms over her chest and kicking a rock by her feet in a way she _knew_ looked more childish than anything. She couldn't help it, though.

Just a few hours ago she had learned that Kenta was moving on to become a Jounin, and now she learns that Itachi leaves to take the Chuunin exams tomorrow morning?

Itachi sighs silently and brings up a hand to her face, and when she looks up in confusion, he pokes the center of her forehead with two fingers. It was an action she had seen him do several times to his baby brother, and she decidedly thought she had no idea how to feel about him doing it to her. It could have meant a whole number of things, really. Thankfully, he opens his mouth to speak before her thoughts can go anywhere.

"I won't be gone for long, Rae-chan," he speaks softly, and the use of her real name - or what she considers to be her real name, mind you - calms her down drastically. She lets her arms drop back down to her sides and her pout turns into a somewhat noticeable frown, and Itachi finally lets his own hand drop down to his side as well.

"How long?" She demands.

He offers a rare Uchiha smile.

"Only two months."

The resounding screech of outrage from the female companion made the crows fly away from their perches noisily.

* * *

She wanted to punch something. No, scratch that, she wanted to kick something. She wanted to kick some _one._ She wanted to kick two very specific someones.

Everyone was _leaving her._ Not physically - well, no, okay, Itachi _was_ physically leaving for a while, but that's not what she meant. Everyone was moving on.

It was silly of her, Rae thinks distractedly, to think that everything would stay the way it was forever. People grow, things change, lives move on. It's a very basic fundamental part of life, everybody knows it. Everybody. So why, _why_ was she getting so upset about the fact that everybody else was growing, changing, and moving on? No, she knew why. It was simple, really.

Because they were growing, changing, and moving on _without her._

Rae had made progress in her training. It was obvious and clear for everyone to see that she was not as weak, neither physically nor mentally, as she used to be.

Yet, at the same time, it felt as if she has accomplished nothing.

Itachi was a prodigy. He was only ten years old and yet, not only did he graduate the top of his class when he was, what, _five_ years old? He is also on his way to become a Chuunin right this very instant - something Rae did not doubt for even a single second. He would pass the Chuunin Exams with flying colors, and his entire Clan would be proud of him, that's the way it always went. Every time. Not only that but he was genuinely thinking of joining Konoha's ANBU program when he reached Chuunin rank, and after that, he would be grabbed and wiped away from her for good, swept under the rug and hidden in the confines of the curtains that ANBU members were so adept at pulling over people's eyes.

Kenta was already high Chuunin level, obviously. His skills as a spy were considered unrivaled - at least from everything she's been told about him from other people. She knew first hand he was an amazingly good actor, and very adept at steering conversation away from things he didn't want to discuss while, at the same time, gaining whatever information he wanted from his target. You could send him to T&I for a full blown interrogation, and he'd come out knowing more about his interrogator than his interrogator knew about him. He was already moving on to becoming a full Jounin as well. Four recommendations, that's all he needs. She didn't doubt he would be able to get those and many more, either.

Then there was Naruto, as well. She was not nearly self deprecating enough to think that a four year old boy with absolutely no training was better than her in any part of the shinobi arts, but she still felt as if he was making more progress into becoming a full fledged shinobi than she was. He was in the academy now - for whatever reason, she still had yet to figure out why he of all people was given 'special permission' to joining the academy early - and he would become a Genin in six years or so, if he passed the Genin exams. Honestly, Rae wasn't entirely certain he was as capable of passing his exams like she was completely certain with Itachi and Kenta, but she still had more than her fair share's amount of pride and trust in the boy.

He was _four._ She was _ten._

Why was he making more progress than she was? Why were any of them so much _further ahead of her?_

Why can't she catch up with them?

* * *

Manabu Shimizu looked decidedly unimpressed as he stared down at the little white haired girl in front of him. She was inside his home for once, something that he didn't actually know how to feel about, sitting on a tatami mat in front of him in his own study room.

When she'd shown up at his front door, he had no idea what to do and was confused.

When she'd asked to speak with him about a 'very serious matter', he had no idea what to do and was curious.

When she asked to start her chakra training in order to become a full fledged Coyote Summoner, his mind just kind of went blank.

So yes, he stared down at the girl with a look that could put any Uchiha mutt to shame in a matter of seconds, and she fought with every fiber of her being not to recoil or flinch away from it. She stared back at him with hard, determined eyes, and it made him pause. Not that there was anything _to_ pause, mind you. It was the middle of the night and his Clan's Heiress was sitting in his study room asking him to drain her of her chakra every night until she was fit enough to summon a Coyote pup on her own, and his mind really wasn't working right now.

But there was a fierce determination in her eyes, and it made him _want_ to pause.

It was the kind of determination someone got when they were absolutely, one hundred percent sure about their decision. The kind of determination one got when there was absolutely no turning back for them. The kind of determination they got when they lost a loved one and wanted to bring the killer to justice.

...Okay, perhaps not that last one. But she was determined as all hell, and it made Manabu finally _think._ Think about what must have happened to make her so determined about this.

"...You know what this entails, right?" He finally found his voice to speak again. Not really 'again', since he hadn't said a single word since she showed up at his door at nearly two in the morning, but whatever. He was still too tired to think properly.

Rae nodded once, determination never leaving her gaze.

Manabu thought it was kind of weird, the way she followed his eyes as if she felt like if she turned away he would think of her as weak. True, eye contact was considered brave and something to challenge another person from time to time, but he thought it was just awkward. Didn't the poor girl realize what eye contact meant to a Coyote? 'Cause it sure as hell wasn't _bravery._

Manabu sighed once again, letting his head loll back for a moment and leaving his mouth open. He didn't outwardly react when the young Shimizu Heiress visibly looked startled at his sharp teeth, but inwardly he was grinning in a slightly feral way. Oh yes, look shocked and appalled all you want little girl. You'll be getting those same teeth one day if you _really_ wanted those Coyotes.

He lowered his head a moment later and his eyes were harder than before, just a little more awake.

"If you agree to this, kid, I'll be coming over every day for _at least a month_ to force you to exhaust your chakra supplies until you pass out, you understand? It ain't as simple as doing one of those fancy little ninjutsus Kenta-san has been teaching you. It doesn't take up a small portion of your chakra like you're used to. It'll take _all of it._ And after the first day, you'll feel dead on your feet. I don't want to agree to this only for you to cry and whine about how hard it is or give up after the first time you get a boo-boo, you hear? If I agree to help you with this, then you'll do everything you're told, _when_ you're told, without complaints and without questions. Understood?"

When she didn't reply right away, Manabu looked at her curiously. She looked apprehensive at his warnings, suddenly a little less sure about her decision than before. Right before he could roll his eyes and kick her out of his home for wasting her time because surely she wouldn't agree to do so _now,_ she regained that steely resolution and bowed lowly to him.

"Hai, Manabu-sensei!"

He felt a minor headache coming on. Did this kid just never know when to back down? Sure, he would be there every step of the way to ensure she didn't _kill_ herself - training for summoning at such a young age really was incredibly dangerous, chakra exhaustion was no laughing matter, especially when a person was young enough that they needed their chakra to function their organs on a daily basis - but it didn't mean she couldn't at least _wait_ a few years before she decided to do something this dangerous.

But whatever.

He shrugged his shoulders and shut his eyes.

"Fine. Then, my first order of business..."

When he did not continue right away, the little head of white hair lifted slightly and looked at him in confusion and, he noted with a grin, slight fear. He looks down at her with a wide grin.

"Go get me a glass of orange juice."

She immediately let her hopeful, fearful expression slip into a deadpan, dry look of disbelief. It's almost as if she didn't know him. After only a moment, she sighed heavily and stood up on her feet. When she made a move to turn and start walking away, however, he spoke up again in a cheerful tone.

"Oh! By the way, I forgot to add that you had to walk on the walls."

She sputtered.

"What?! How am I supposed to get a glass of juice if I have to walk sideways?!"

He shrugged again, as if it wasn't his problem at all. And, really, it really wasn't. She wanted this, she would get it full force.

"You're a water user aren't you? Use your chakra and try to control the juice inside the glass. I don't want to see it tilted when you get in here, understood?" His voice dropped a few light hearted notes at the last word, and Rae shut her mouth and bit down the retort she most likely already had planned out in her head. Sly little girl always had something witty to say.

Soon enough, she clenched her hands at her sides and narrowed her eyes at him, almost like calling bullshit to his instructions, before she nodded and padded over to his walls. Manabu was glad she took her shoes off at the front door and was now barefoot. He lived alone and really didn't like the idea of having to clean up dirt or mud off his walls. He didn't voice these opinions aloud, of course, knowing the girl before him well enough to know that she would immediately latch onto that idea and find some excuse to wear her shoes on the walls for some reason or another.

She steps uncertainly onto his light blue walls, and with one last glare over her shoulder at the older - _grinning_ \- man, she turns and walks sideways out of his study room's door way. Manabu kept his snickers quiet, knowing she already had advanced enough hearing to hear him laughing if he were too loud, and watched her retreating back happily.

Oh, this was going to be _fun._

* * *

((A/N: A bit more of Kenta and Manabu yayy. Rae feels left behind because everyone else is so much stronger and more powerful than her, yayy. Poor baby.

This chapter is shorter than usual(with only 3.6 words in it, ugh) and I'm sorry, but I really felt as though a short chapter would be best this time around. There will be a time skip in the next chapter and it'll probably end up being much longer than the usual 4.5 words so this chapter shouldn't be too upsetting, hopefully.

dont kill me pls

Question!: What kind of things do you think Manabu would have her doing to exhaust her chakra every single night? Hint: he has a very unique sense of humor. (:

Leave reviews! Reviews are love!))


	34. New Regime

((A/N: Ugh, we are just breezing through the 30s of this story, huh? Already about halfway there to 40. Odd. Either way, I do have a small announcement. I'm taking the finale exams in school right now(like, not right this second, but... you know what i mean) so there will be a definite lull in the chapters for a little while. As much as I love to write when I'm stressed with tests, I really need to crunch these out so I'll be pretty much blocking myself from the story until I'm finished haha... ):

Responses to reviews!:

Sam- I assume you meant 'where is Kenta'? If so, he showed up in the last chapter at the very beginning. I'm glad you're worried for our perfect lil spy tho (:

May525- THese things don't necessarily have to be done at night time. It's just a preference so that the person who is exhausted of their chakra(I.E., Rae in this instance) will be able to sleep the night away without missing anything. But, yeah, she could totally do those. Also? You're crazy dude, pranking can happen in the middle of the night if you're real good with it. Consider it an exercise in both chakra exhaustion and stealth (:

readthishit- YES IM SO GLAD YOU LOVED THE FOREHEAD BOOP. The forehead boop is a definite symbol of affection. Doesn't have to be love, per se, but we all know how loyal those Uchiha boys are when they really care about someone, huh? Also your ideas are all really great dude, I actually decided to use some of them, which you'll see plenty of in this chapter. (:

every one of those responses ended in a smiley face lol. ominous... (:

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Manabu-sensei couldn't have been more wrong.

She did not feel 'dead on her feet' after the first day at all.

No, instead, she felt as if the Kami of Death himself crawled his way out of hell just to chew her up for hours on end and then finally, _finally_ spit her out on the ground in a very undignified way at the end of day. To make matters worse, the damn jerk decided that she was not worthy enough of a mercy killing, so she endured this every day for about four days before she finally broke.

It's been four days since Itachi left, and even though Rae has gone for weeks without seeing the boy before, just knowing he wasn't there for her to go bother left an empty ache in her chest that she didn't enjoy. It's been four days since Kenta has gone and disappeared, and even though he, unlike Itachi, was still _in_ the village somewhere, she has no idea where he was and could also not go and bother him. Naruto was busy with the academy, often times too tired to play with the pups after he gets home - which is a real shocker, honestly. That kid is energy incarnate. She needs to figure out what they do at the academy to tire him out so quickly, and she needs to use it on the Coyotes, stat. Rae supposes she could go and visit Sasuke, even if the two of them weren't necessarily close. They didn't really dislike each other, but every time Rae came around to their home, it was always to spend time with Itachi. Sasuke was always just... in the background.

Which was kind of harsh of her, honestly. She resolves to go over while Itachi is gone to spend more time with him. After all, he must be feeling just as bad, or even worse, now that his only brother is gone for two whole months.

Yeah, she'll go visit him some time.

Rae was dragged out of her thoughts by a loud wheezing sound to her right, and she turned her head to glance in that direction.

Manabu-sensei laughed so hard he was wheezing on the ground.

Eyeing him up from the corner of her blue-red eyes, Rae can't even muster the strength to glare at him. He takes one look at her, as if feeling how _pissed she was_ at him, and then promptly breaks out into yet another fit of hysterical laughter. She wants to groan in exasperation and roll her eyes at him, but she doesn't even have the energy for that. Instead she just goes slack on the ground, her face pressed into the mud and her body laying spread eagle in a very unladylike attempt to cool off her body. Her body, which was not even actually hot, felt like molten lava was coursing through her veins. It was really a cold day out, but excessive use of chakra, she found out the hard way, felt as if she just did an S-rank fire jutsu without proper training for it. Her body felt on fire, her chakra pathways felt _singed_ and _burning_ and it _hurt._

Manabu-sensei kept laughing.

She still had a bit of chakra left, she knew. She wasn't completely drained just yet, due to it being too early for her to go to bed just yet. It would be another two hours before her usual time for sleep, and she knew what Manabu-sensei always had planned for her to do right before dead to drain the last of her chakra reserves - or, most of it anyway. Manabu-sensei had told her several times that your body will only let you exhaust your chakra to a certain point before you're forced to go unconscious in order to try to protect yourself. Which was really dumb, honestly, because you're not protecting anything really if you go unconscious in the middle of a fight, but whatever. 'It's eh', said Manabu-sensei, shrugging.

Jerk.

Either way, Rae just spent the entire day sparring with the Coyote litter. Dodging the haphazardly thrown about jutsus that they liked to toss at her every two seconds while also trying to toss in your own two cents every now and again was _difficult._

Akio and Ari especially seemed to like this training, and Rae briefly wonders what she ever did to gain Ari's ire. She had thought the two of them were pretty close before then, but now she was entirely certain that the oldest coyote pup was trying to kill her every day she came by. No matter how many times she says it's just training.

Her muscles ached from just the thought of standing up again, so she shut her eyes for a moment and tried to will herself to stand. It didn't work the first few times, her legs giving out underneath her from the strain they'd been put under for so long this past week, but she got it right on the fourth try. Or, semi-right, really. She stood on wobbly legs, hands gripping her knees tightly in the hopes of not falling over - again - and making a fool of herself - _again_ \- in front of Manabu-sensei and her puppy 'pals'.

Tsuru was seemingly the only one who did not take pleasure in this training - not that all the others really _wanted_ to see her get hurt, mind you, but they were all just children with far too much energy on their hands, so of course they'd jump at the idea of something like this. Tsuru, however, was very obviously less of a physical person and more of a mental person. He was the smartest of the group, easily the best strategist and could easily pick apart an enemy's defenses or attack strategy in moments. He was a quick thinker, and because of that, he found it rather stimulating to try to pick _her_ apart and see which move she'll do next, where she'll go and who she'll attack first - but never moving into the fray to fight her himself.

Ahiru attempted to stay back with Tsuru for a while as well, being the second quickest thinker, but he just had too much energy to get rid of. He'd looked back at his older sibling with flattened ears and a hint of guilt, but with a quiet 'you're better on the field anyway' from Tsuru, he'd perked up and jumped right on top of all the drama. Quite literally, he'd jump on top of Kira's head and jumped straight for Rae's neck. Which, _ouch,_ by the way. She had moved quick enough to not get bit on the neck, but she sure as hell did not move fast enough to dodge his two-foot-tall-Earth attack, which really just made her lose her footing and trip over a small, raised bump in the ground. The pack had descended upon her momentary weakness like the animals they were, and Rae barely made it out with singed clothing and wind-mussed hair.

Thanks a lot, Kira.

Said pup snickered from her spot in the river she was laying in. It was one of the shallower parts of the water, enough that you could lie flat on your back and not get any water in your ears or nose. Rae knew the pups were just as exhausted as she was, considering they'd, too, been using chakra and moving around nonstop.

For the first time in the last several days of this hellish training, Rae thinks that perhaps this is chakra training not just for her, but for the coyotes as well.

She mentally shrugs it off - since she sure as hell couldn't physically shrug it off - and gives a silent sigh. A little bit of mud got in her mouth due to her face being pressed into the cool ground, and Rae finally finds the strength to move. Mud tasted gross, and it was, unfortunately, a taste she had tasted often in these last few days of torture training. Pushing her arms underneath her body, she forced herself to sit up on hands and knees, spitting out the foul tasting mix of water and dirt. She let out a loud groan of pain.

Umi gave a groan somewhere from her left side that sounded kind of like he agreed with her, which she actually believed. He may have jumped in with both feet - or with four feet? - just like the others had at the idea of trying to kill her, but he'd been just as exhausted as she was today. So for today and today only, they were kindred spirits in pain.

She briefly wonders if spirits can even feel pain.

Then she realized she was getting off track and it doesn't matter.

"Shut _up,_ sensei," Rae whispers hoarsely. She doesn't bother wincing at her cracked voice or how dry her throat was, and she knew for a fact his hearing was more than good enough to hear her.

Especially considering he lets out a fresh wave of laughter at it.

It's kind of weird, Rae finds herself thinking. She's never seen him laugh or smile this much before, not in the several months that they'd been training together for. It wasn't weird in the sense that laughing didn't _fit_ him, per se. Quite the opposite, really. Though Rae sure as hell felt no attraction for her teacher at all, she had to admit that the smiles made him look better. He looked less gloomy, and honestly, he'd probably have a better chance at getting a girlfriend if he smiled more.

Wait. Does Manabu-sensei have a girlfriend? He looked like he was living alone the last time she'd visited his home, so she didn't think so. Then again, couples don't always live together. Huh.

"Do you have a girlfriend, sensei?" Rae blurts out. She swallows thickly to get some moisture in her throat, then clears her throat and turns to look at him, still propped up on all fours. He stopped laughing and looked at her in utter confusion. He gets up from his position of rolling around in the ground - and wow, how is he still so clean he was very clearly in the _mud_ \- and puts a hand to his chin.

"What the hell are you going on about, kid?"

She licks her lips, opens her mouth to speak, and lets out a dry couch. She clears her throat and tries again.

"I mean, I guess it doesn't have to be a girl. I don't judge."

She didn't even have the energy to evade the torrent of water he shoots at her.

* * *

The second weak is easier than the first, even if Rae still feels dead every night when she literally has to be carried back to her bed by one of her tired pups.

They were growing, Rae realized one night right before she passed out in her soft, _so soft,_ bed. Of course they were always, constantly growing, but they had only been around for a little while now and they'd already physically grown in an obvious enough manner.

Ari had slowly, ever so slowly, stopped being the tallest one of the group. Surprisingly, or not surprisingly considering he was the second oldest of the bunch, Inu was the one to start taking the lead in height and strength. All the running around caused him to grow rather well, and he was physically the strongest of them all. He was usually the one to carry her to bed most nights, even if she was still big enough to feel as if she was riding a very small pony. Ari was growing out her own muscles under her fur as well, even if they were nowhere near as big or intimidating as some of her brothers' muscles. Kira and Tsuru seemed to be the only two out of the litter of seven that weren't focusing on growing physically strong. Rather, the both of them focused more on their speed. Because of it, they were both sleeker than the others, had better leg muscles, and were a hell of a lot faster than all the others. So far, Tsuru look the lead whenever they ran at full speed, always several feet in front of the others every time. Kira was second, being only two or three feet in front of the others when they ran, but she was steadily getting faster and faster each time.

Rae didn't blame the two of them, really. Kira was the youngest of them all and held no hope of growing as strong as the others, as much as Rae loved the young female pup. Her pure white coat was thinner than the others, a tell tale sign that she was not as strong. Something Rae had grown rather early on in studying the pups was that their fur was a very large indication as to their strengths or speeds. Kira and Tsuru both had much thinner and sleeker fur than the others, not as spiky and always flat against their body. Inu and Akio however, being two of the strongest members of the group, had thick, spiky dark hair that stuck out in nearly every direction. Inu's charcoal black eyes were still wide and soft with childish wonder, but Rae had no doubt that they'd grow harder and more focused as he grew up.

She didn't even want to think about how tall he would grow, dear lord. Being the oldest son of Roba, that monstrously huge creature of a coyote, definitely has its ups and downs. She didn't know if this would be considered an up or a down, really. On the one hand, hello, _intimidation._ He might be a total softie right now, but when he got older he would be hella terrifying to even think about going up against. On the other hand however, stealth was a definite no go with him.

Which could be a very bad thing, as she'd already been told by Manabu that training the pups how to sneak and hunt prey was a very important thing to the coyotes. It was like how the grand fireball was the one thing you looked for in an Uchiha, hunting was something no coyote could go without if they wanted to consider themselves as a part of the pack. She'd learned that even those who aren't training, or already trained, to become fighters still had to at least _learn_ the art of the hunt. It was just a fundamental part of being a coyote.

Which she would have to learn as well.

As soon as she signs that contract with her own blood, she would be a full fledged Coyote Summoner, which means they will consider her one of their own. A coyote in everything but appearance, really. It was kind of heart warming, actually, to know that as soon as this month of torture was over, she would be accepted as who she was into a group that cared about her for her. A group that didn't expect anything from her as an Heiress or a Clan kid. They expect nothing from her but loyalty, honesty, and _family._

She wanted that.

She wanted that more than anything else.

* * *

The third week was the most difficult, honestly.

Before her day of training began on one chilly, cloudless day, she requested a bit of time off for a few hours to go and visit some people she hadn't seen in a while. Manabu had been upset, or at least he claimed he was upset, but Rae knew the man was a softie at heart. He let her off with three hours and a promise of extra hard training later when she got back, to 'make up for lost time' he'd said with a grin.

She shuddered.

But still, she'd made herself a promise to go and visit Sasuke while his brother was away, and she intended to do just that.

She knocked a little tune on the front door of Mikoto Uchiha's home, a hum in her throat and a small bounce in her step despite the aching pain of yesterday's training, and the phantom pains of what was promised to be the worst training as of yet. Her seven coyote pups were trailing behind her, Inu and Ari reaching just past her waist with their growing heights. They all needed a break from the nonstop training just as she did, and she could tell in their tired yawns or the way they sometimes had to stop to stretch out their aching joints.

She smiled fondly, facing forward once again after taking a quick cursory look over her pack. _Her pack._ Her family.

A warm fuzzy feeling bubbled up in her chest, and Rae felt guilt at the same time as she felt this contentment. The last time she'd felt this happy, this content with everything about the world and everything in it, was back in Suna. With Leo, and Happy, and Gaara and Miyuki. With her family, first and foremost.

She wonders how they're doing.

She wonders why she's never gotten any letters from them.

"Rae-chan?"

Facing forward, Rae let out a small smile. Mikoto looked surprised to see her, wiping away what looked like flour on her yellow apron. Yellow was such an odd color for an Uchiha to wear, Rae thought. It was so _bright_ and welcoming.

"Hello, Mikoto-sama!" She answers back chipperly, stuffing her hands in her coat pocket. It was getting real cold here, and though the snow _still_ had yet to make an appearance, she was excited for it nonetheless. According to the litter of pups following behind her, they'd never seen real snow before due to how warm their home is, so this would be their first time seeing snow if they were around long enough to see it with her.

Mikoto smiled, a bit apologetically for some reason, and opened the door further.

"Ah, I"m sorry Rae-chan, I thought Itachi-kun told you? He won't be back for another several weeks."

Ah. She thought she was here to visit Itachi only. The thought that she'd come over to visit Itachi so often that Mikoto thought it was the sole reason for her being over brought a bit of red to Rae's cheeks. She hadn't really come to visit him _that often,_ right..?

"Oh, no, I know!" Rae quickly assures the older woman, waving her hands in front of herself. Mikoto turns back to Rae from what Rae knew was her suspiciously eyeing up the tired coyotes behind her, and smiles again. "I'm here to see Sasuke, actually! I figured since Itachi will be gone for a while longer, I'd take the time to get to know him better, you know?"

Her smile relaxes and takes on a soft, motherly edge to it, and Mikoto steps aside for her to enter.

"My bad. Please, do come in! Sasuke-kun would appreciate it very much, he's been so terribly sad since Itachi-kun left. He's up in his room right now. If your friends would like to go with you, they're very welcome to!"

A snort came from behind Rae that sounded suspiciously like Akio, and she raised a foot to kick blindly behind herself. There was a quiet yelp and several tired snickers, and she gives herself a mental high five for kicking the right one on the first try. Usually she ended up kicking Umi in the face, poor babe.

"Thank you very much, Mikoto-sama. I'll try to keep them in line this time."

Mikoto lets out a quiet laughter and waved a hand in front of herself.

"No, no! They're no trouble. They're quite fun to have around, really! Sasuke loves them, I'm sure it'll make his day to see you all here just for him."

Rae grins back her affirmative and takes off her shoes in the house's genkan, shooting icy glares at any of the pups who dared to try to walk further into the house without wiping the bottom of their feet down onto the mat first. A few abashed looks and a childish scoff later, they were all heading up the stairs to Sasuke's room. Well, all of them minus Tsuru and Ari. Both of them were tuckered out and just wanted to take a long nap in the sun, and Mikoto had no problem with them keeping her company while she cooked breakfast - which she had been invited to have with them, as well.

"Saaaaasukeeeee," Rae whispered under her breath as he creaked open a door that must have been his - she knew what Itachi's door looked like, and the other one was the upstairs bathroom. She briefly wondered how creepy she must look, peeking her head around doors while eerily mumbling a child's name under her breath, but the thought flies out of her mind when she spots the small lump under the dark blue covers. Sasuke was still asleep, lying in his bed and snoring openly.

She held down a giggle, knowing how angry any Uchiha would be if they knew that their Clan Head's son snored in his sleep, and crept closer. Inu was the only one who followed her forward, the other staying out in the hallway while they waited for them to come back.

Creeping up to the side of his bed, Rae sat on the edge of the soft mattress and took a moment to think about how she would wake him up. Inu came by as well and snuffled at the covers in a very adorable manner, and Rae was torn between looking at the cute coyote pup trying to stick his nose under the warm blankets or looking at the peaceful, snoring face of Sasuke Uchiha.

She grinned when she realized how to wake him up.

* * *

Mikoto hummed a soft lullaby aloud as she cooked, battering eggs together at the counter and chopping up strawberries on a separate cutting board. The two Coyote summons that had stayed behind with her - Tsuru and Ari, she remembered their names were - were sitting at the end of the low table in the living room space. The table in the dining room was high off the ground with regular chairs, for eating normal meals as a family, while the low table was for mostly formal events or for tea parties, whenever Mikoto decided to hold the rare party.

She huffed out a silent laugh and set down a plate of chopped fruit and ham in front of the duo, and to her surprise, they were both mature enough to not immediately lunge for the food. Instead, they both spent a moment thanking her for the food, then began eating food at separate ends of the plate. Mikoto feels rather happy about the fact that they trusted her enough to eat the food without even sniffing it out for poisons or the like first. Not that she would ever do so to them or to the young Shimizu Heiress, but it still made her proud to know they didn't feel the need to be suspicious around her.

When she gets back to the kitchen, she can feel the familiar chakra of her youngest son shivering slightly, meaning he was slowly waking up.

She let a warm, motherly smile color her features, a feeling of warm contentment blooming in her chest. Mikoto had seen much blood shed and heartbreak in her life, from the childhood days of when she first met a young, future Fourth Hokage, all the way to her first days on the battlefield as a kunoichi, then to that fated day four, nearly five years ago when she lost her dearest childhood friend. An ache of nostalgia fought its' way to the front of her heart, but it was overcome by happiness. She had a loving husband, despite what many believed due to his tendency to treat outsiders with a strict glare. She had two wonderful, amazing sons that she loved and was proud of very much. She was surrounded by the loving members of her Clan, who all cared for her and dropped by to give gifts or to ask how her sons were doing. She had another dear friend that she has yet to lose, Emiko Shimizu, and she had Emiko's daughter, who was closely becoming dear friends with both sons.

Everything was perfect, and Mikoto Uchiha was content.

At least, she was perfectly content. The feeling of warm contentment was squashed down the moment she felt her son's chakra spike through the roof all of a sudden, and not even a full second afterwards, she can hear Sasuke screaming at the top of his lungs and the young Shimizu Heiress laughing hard enough to let out a few breathy wheeze. A loud commotion of high pitched barking and sharp nails scratching against the wooden ground followed suit quickly.

"KAA-SAN! RAE-NEE IS BEING _GROSS,_ MAKE HER _STOP!_ "

Yes, Mikoto thinks with an exasperated sigh.

Yes, she was still content. Even if it got a little too crazy every now and again.

* * *

((A/N: ok so this time skip wasn't as much as I thought it would be when I thought about writing this chapter, but since when have I ever been able to predict what the hell happens in this story huh

next chapter should have her finally signing the contract, though. Should.

Question!: So this is a question that will be answered in a while, considering it's only two and a half years away in the story, but, do you guys think the Uchiha Massacre will change at all due to Rae's being here? Do you think it'll change in some way, or even not happen at all? Or do you think it'll happen the same exact way it happened in the anime/manga?

See you next time! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	35. Becoming The Summoner

((A/N: "I'm not going to write until finals are over" she says, as she writes the next chapter. "I won't do it" she says, as she posts the next chapter.

I lied. Writing helps me get these ideas out of my head so I can focus so I'mma keep writing.

NEXT MONTH, THIS STORY WILL BE A WHOLE YEAR OLD!

Wow? Thank you guys so much for all of your love. It makes me so happy. I've never been this focused and determined to finish any story I've written! You guys keep me motivated as all hell! I will write several omakes for the one year anniversary of this story, so if you guys want omakes about any thing in particular tell me now so I can start writing them!

Responses to reviews!:

readthishit- It's always fun to torture Sasuke for your guys' amusement. In regards to the coup- you mean if the village learned of what the Uchiha were planning? Or do you mean the coup will actually happen, and a day will come where the Uchiha try to take over? I'm thinking they'd do it violently. That would not be a good day. And, I also agree that Shisui's suicide caused a lot of issues within the Uchiha clan, so that's a thing I'm gonna think long and hard on. Emiko may or may not know some Uchiha secrets (:

The Eden Project- uh? you shut your face? youre too nice I swear ur gonna make me blush. Also! Why not just ship _everything!_ It's what I do lmao its hell

tachello- Well, this is the shinobi world where children are taught to murder for the sake of others. That's probably why they killed off the children as well. If the kids got the Sharingan due to this traumatic encounter, there's no telling how they'd react to the village afterwards. It's awful and I hated it too, but strictly logically thinking, it made sense in an awful twisted way. And I also agree Mikoto shouldn't die. She was such a wonderful mom it pains me

And wow? A lot of you guys requested some Shisui/Rae time to happen. Like, a lot. I didn't expect you all to go nuts when I mentioned the massacre holy poop.

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

She visits Sasuke again the next day, and the day after that, and two days after that.

He was in initially very upset with her due to how she woke him up the first time she came around _\- hello, if you can throw beetles at me I don't see why I can't put a worm on your face while you sleep_ \- and acted like the childish brat he is, all sulking as if his brother had just run away from home permanently. However, he warmed up to her within the first day, and while he still taunted her with throwing bugs at her and doing gross, boyish things, he did get kind of sad when she had to leave two hours later. It broke her heart, really, but it also made her feel good to know that he really did like her being around.

So she went the next day.

Manabu-sensei wasn't actually upset by it like she thought he would be, however he did promise even more pain than yesterday - which would be impossible, because he'd made her do twice as many exercises yesterday and it still ached the next day. He also made her promise that while she was over at the Uchiha Compound, she had to do her Fire Jutsu training with her Uchiha sensei.

It sounded like a pretty good deal, honestly. Even if she still exhausted herself every night, and more than once she had to sleep over at Mikoto's home because she was too tired to go back to her own Clan Compound.

Mikoto never got upset about it, either. She was ecstatic that her friend's daughter was spending so much time with her own sons, especially considering Sasuke had been in a much better mood since Rae started coming around after Itachi left for his Chuunin exams. Rae feels terrible that it took her so long to start visiting Sasuke, but she doesn't let the guilt overcome her. It was a small thing, and Sasuke didn't look so angry about it anymore, as long as she promised to keep coming back when she could.

Satoshi-sensei also seemed to, er, 'enjoy' this new arrangement.

And when she says 'enjoy', she means that he loved to make her do powerful, way-too-big fire jutsus.

"To help you with your chakra exhaustion exercises," he'd said happily - or, well, as happy as an Uchiha could get.

'Bullshit', Rae says back grumpily.

So she comes to visit Sasuke again one day, her lips chapped and her face way too hot to be comfortable, with a small scowl on her face. Mikoto takes one look at her, makes a pitiful attempt to hide her snickers, and goes to grab a damn washcloth for her. She accepts it with a mumbled 'thanks', and heads to the living room where she knew Sasuke would be.

Low and behold, there, sitting at the low coffee table with his chubby legs crossed, was Sasuke Uchiha, colorful crayons scribbling away furiously on a sheet of paper.

Rae raises her brow, but doesn't comment until she's already sitting across from him.

"So," she speaks up, leaning forward to try to catch a glimpse of what he's working so hard on. Sasuke looks startled for a moment and whips his head up to stare at her with wide eyes. Another raised brow is all the response he gets. He must have been severely focused on this task, if he hadn't even heard her coming in.

"Rae-nee!" He smiles happily when he sees her, even if he looks like he wants to laugh at the burnt tips of her white hair - which, by the way, grows like a damn _tree._ Her white tufts of hair were already long enough to reach past her chin now and were almost reaching her shoulder blades at this point. Kenta was the only person who Rae had trusted enough to cut her hair since moving here, but he was still gone for whatever reason, so she had just let it grow. It doesn't make much of a difference. She's still far too young to look overly feminine, so she just tied it up into a tight ponytail, like she usually did while training.

"Hey, Sasuke. What are you working on there?" She points at the paper under his hands.

He suddenly looked immensely proud of himself, and without another word, he dropped his crayon and raised the paper just inches in front of her face to show her the image he had been doodling. Unfortunately for him, she couldn't see the paper when it was that close.

Pushing his hands back a bit, Rae stared at the drawing on the paper.

Then promptly let out a snort.

Sasuke, looking affronted that his masterpiece was being laughed at, immediately glared at her and tucked his paper away under his arms. A tint of red spread across his cheeks and ears, and he made a face that was a mix between a scowl and a pout. It only made Rae laugh harder.

"No, no! I wasn't - _pfft_ \- I wasn't laughing at your art! It's great! It just..." she calmed herself down before continuing, then pointed at the paper. He obligingly brought it back out from under his arms and splayed it across the coffee table for them both to look at. It was such a childish drawing, really - which makes sense, he _is_ a child. It's just... he was such a prideful, stuck up Uchiha, just like all the others. Something so childishly _adorable_ just caught her off guard.

On the paper was a drawing of four people - A tall stick figure with a frown and down turned eyebrows(which were rather _heavily_ drawn, mind you), a smaller stick figure with a pink dress on and a happy smile, a third stick figure with a smile and carrying a throwing star, and the fourth figure, which looked like it had the most time spent on it, had a small, barely there smile and several shuriken in their arms. It was very obviously a drawing of Sasuke and his family. His father and mother were holding hands together, and stick-figure-Itachi was holding their mother's hand as well as stick-figure-Sasuke's hand.

"It's... adorable, Sasuke. Have you shown Mikoto-sama yet? I'm sure she'd love to put it up on the fridge or something!"

"No!" He hurriedly hugged the colorful drawing close to himself, shaking his head vigorously. Rae blinks down at him in confusion. Didn't he _want_ his picture to be displayed on the fridge? Wasn't it what a lot of kids wanted from their parents?

"Why not, Sasuke? You don't want people to see it?"

"I do!" He places the paper back down on the table. "It's just not finished. I have to add... eh..." He begins counting on both of his hands, mumbling the numbers under his breath as he went along. Finally, after a moment of mumbled numbers, he held up eight fingers with a firm, determined look on his chubby little features.

"I have to add eight more people! Then it'll be done!"

She blinks down at him a second time.

"Oh? I thought this was just a drawing of your family, though?"

"It is my family!"

"Then who else are you adding to the drawing?"

Who else would he be adding? It was very obviously a drawing of his immediate family - father, mother, big brother, and himself. So who else was he adding that he considered his family? Surely he wouldn't be drawing his entire Clan. Although, perhaps there are a few cousins or other relatives he was rather close with. Now that she looked a bit closer at the picture, she could see that there must have been room made for more stick figures. The four stick figures already present were down in one corner of the page, and little stick-figure-Sasuke isn't even squished between his older brother and his mother, like Rae would have assumed he would be. Instead, he was on stick-figure-Itachi's other side, his stick hand held out to the open air as if he was holding somebody else's hand as well.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her, as if she was being particularly slow this day, and picked up a black crayon to begin drawing more stick figures.

"You and the coyotes, duh."

Rae is pretty sure she can hear her heart thump painfully in her chest. She is also pretty sure she can hear a quiet gasp from the room's doorway, and a quick glance at the corner of her eyes tells her that, yes, Mikoto is looking at the scene with swimming eyes and a wide grin on her pretty face. She turns around and leaves when she catches Rae's glance, though. The younger girl turns back to the boy in front of her, and for a moment she just stares in silence.

What the hell did she do to deserve this?

"You think of me as your family, Sasuke?"

"Course I do! Why else would I call you Rae-nee?"

The kid was _four years old,_ almost five, and he was already making girls' hearts melt. He'd be one hell of a heart breaker when he grew up, that's for sure. She does not envy whatever girl decides to fall in love with him.

Then she grins.

"Then wouldn't it make more sense for me to call you my otouto?"

He pauses in his drawing of the newest stick figure - and, yep, that's a bunch of messy, white colored hair in the drawing - and looks up at her with wide, awe-filled eyes. She doesn't understand why he can call her his older sister without batting a charcoal colored eye, but when she called him her little brother, he looked up at her with tear filled eyes and an open mouth.

Then he lunged across the table and wrapped his arms around her neck, and both of them fell backwards from the force.

* * *

She couldn't believe her ears.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Manabu-sensei rolled his eyes at the girl in front of him, placing his hands on his hips in a very mom-like fashion. Rae didn't have the time to find it very funny, however, and instead stared up at her teacher with wide, confused, _hopeful_ blue-red eyes. Did he just say what she thinks he said?

"It's been thirty two days since we started the chakra training, Kei-san. That means it's been _more_ than one month. Which meeeans," he reached back into a pouch attached to his thigh, digging around for just a moment before he pulls his hand back out and smiles at the girl sitting in front of him. There was a small pendant in his hand - yellow, red, brown, and orange making up an emblem of a spiked coyote's body. He tossed the small, flat pendant at Rae, and she caught it easily.

She turned the small coin-like decoration in her hands several times, looking at both sides and thumbing the small pendant with wide eyes.

It looked just like the necklace Leo had given her before she had to leave Suna, the colors of the desert swirling around in an intricate pattern. Only, instead of it being one ball of sand, the coin-like pendant have the emblem of a Coyote engraved on one side, and the other side had the letters, "FLH" deeply engraved into it. The coin as a whole was pristine and neat, as if only freshly made and it hadn't been touched since. There was a small, round hole on the top of the coin that looked as if something was meant to go there.

She looked up at her teacher once again, and he was grinning down at her with his sharp canine teeth.

"You're gonna sign the contract and officially become a Coyote Summoner now. Think of that as my congratulations gift to you."

She opened her mouth to speak, to say something - thanks, at the very least! - but all she could manage was a slight squeak that made her ears burn red in embarrassment. Manabu-sensei only laughed at her predicament, and Rae couldn't find the energy to even get angry at him for it. Instead, she only nodded silently and clutched the small pendant to herself as she watched the older man bring his hands up to wipe a fake tear from his eye.

"Ah, they grow up so fast," he muttered under his breath. Before Rae could ask just what the hell he meant by that, he was biting down on his thumb to draw blood, then slammed it into the ground with a quick 'summoning jutsu!' and a grin.

A puff of smoke appeared in less than a second, and Rae had to cover her eyes from being stung by the offending gas. Unlike last time, she was standing rather close to the summoner this time around, so the smoke reached her smaller body easily. When a moment of silence went by, Rae lifted her hands and stared up at the Coyote present.

A grin found itself on her face.

"Roba-san!"

Roba turned his large head from where he had been looking at Manabu-sensei, instead staring down at her with his dark, chocolate eyes. They narrow minutely, and he leans his entire body down so he was face to face with Rae.

"Oh, it's the pup," he grumbles with his rough voice.

Rae smiles wider and holds the Coyote pendant up to his face.

"Look, look! I'mma be a summoner for you guys!"

He narrows his eye to get a better look at the small, flat coin, and he lets a low hum - which sounded just a tiny bit like a growl - fly free from his throat. Then he lifts his head back to his full height and shakes out his fur a bit, dry dirt flying out from the thick spikes on his body.

"Well done, pup. I'm proud of you."

"Pft, you make it sound like you're my father or something," Rae says with a sarcastic scoff, but despite her witty words, there is an undeniable warmth in her chest at being praised by someone she respected.

Roba looks down at her curiously, then lets a red-tinted grin color his wolfish features, which was still just as terrifying as the last time Rae had seen him grin like that.

"Well, since you are a part of my litter now, I suppose technically you _are_ considered one of my pups."

Rae freezes at this news.

Manabu-sensei lets out a wild cackle.

She opens his mouth to speak again, but Manabu-sensei lifts his hands to tell her to shush. She follows the silent order with a pout, still clutching the sand-colored emblem to her chest.

"Roba, the contract, please."

The pout immediately disappears from her face. Roba rolls his eyes with a huffed out 'the contract, _please_ ', but obliges either way. He takes a step back from the two humans present and shakes himself out one more time - Rae is kind of curious as to what he was doing immediately before being summoned here, if his fur was so thickly covered in dry dirt - before he lifts the entire front part of his body off the ground. Rearing up on hind legs, he stomps his front paws down onto the ground -

\- hard enough to cause a small Earthquake.

Rae lets out an indignant squeak when she loses her footing and falls onto her rear, but Manabu-sensei looked perfectly fine.

Chakra-coated feet, probably.

She internally slaps herself for not thinking of doing that too. She'd been doing nothing but using chakra this past month, so why was it not her first thought? Idiot.

"Here it is!"

Manabu-sensei's short clap of his hands brought Rae out of her mind and, subsequently, out of her mental berating. Looking up from her spot on the cold, muddy ground, she finds a scroll in the spot Roba had just stomped down onto. It was a huge scroll, as thick as her abdomen and easily twice as tall as her.

Manabu-sensei leans over and undoes a small, light brown cloth that was tied around the huge scroll lightly. When the cloth was gone, the scroll unrolled itself automatically.

Immediately, Rae notices that there are four long rectangles on the yellow paper that had names written in with red, bloody handwriting. She stares in curiosity.

"Only four people can be contracted to the Desert Coyotes at one time. Right now, there are two Coyote summoners still alive - you'll make the third. The first two on this list have both passed away."

Rae nods her head along with his words and reads the name in her mind.

 _Hamasaki Netsu_

 _Ishikawa Netsu_

 _Kita Netsu_

 _Manabu Shimizu_

Rae furrows her brows. Only four summoners? Also, why did Manabu-sensei have the contract if it seemed pretty obvious this was for the Netsu family name?

Hamasaki Netsu... 'Sand Heat' seemed an appropriate name for someone who had the Desert Coyotes.

Rae raised her head and opened her mouth to ask the question, to ask why he held the contract when his last name wasn't the same as the others that came before him, or to maybe ask how he got the contract in the first place - _where_ he got the contract - but Manabu-sensei sent her a knowing look.

Once again telling her to shut up.

Her mouth snapped shut with an irritated look in his direction.

"Right here," he pointed one finger down at the next blank space, right next to his. Sneaking a quick glance to the side revealed the fact that the blank spaces disappeared under the rest of the rolled up scroll. How long would this contract go on for...?

"Sign your name in chakra-infused blood."

She looked back down at the blank space, then raised a hand to her face. Chakra infused blood, hm? It was a simple trick that Manabu-sensei had taught her early on. In fact, it was one of the first chakra-related things he ever taught her. She could see why, now.

"The thing is, Kei-san," he continued speaking when she hesitated. She looked up at him in curiosity and confusion. "I've only worked up your chakra to about low-Chuunin level. Which, yes, it may seem to be a lot for someone who isn't even a Genin yet, but that's not _enough_ chakra for a true summoner. Right now, you've only got just enough chakra to summon a pup or two before you pass out from chakra exhaustion, got it? If you want to get better, you'll have to practice more, do another month or two of your chakra exhaustion exercises. I don't ever want to see you using this in the field unless you've done at least another two months of chakra exhaustion, alright?"

Rae's eyes go wide. Really? She'd have to do this two more times before she could use it on a mission? Rae had thought that the entire month of chakra exhaustion training was so that she would have enough chakra to do this on the battlefield - to summon a Coyote companion so she would never have to fight alone. She didn't think... she didn't think that summoning would require _so much chakra._

She audibly gulps, but nods her affirmation either way.

"Hai, Manabu-sensei."

He looks into her eyes for a moment, searching for something, before he nods as well.

"Good. Give me your hand."

She places her smaller hand in his larger one, and he pulls a sharpened kunai out of the dark blue pouch on his thigh. Rae's heartbeat quickens when she recognizes what he was going to do, but there was enough trust between the two of them that she did not pull away. Seemingly noticing her fear, he sends her a small, lopsided grin.

"What? Too scared?"

At once, her hesitated look of fear morphed into a look of annoyance.

"Get it over with, baka," she huffs at him, turning her head away with an indignant pout. He laughs at her haughty expression, and Rae winces slightly when there is a sharp stinging sensation on her thumb.

"There. Infuse your blood with chakra, then write your name - first and last. Afterwards, put a bit of blood on all five fingers and stamp your hand down below your name."

Rae nodded along with the new information, turning to look at her slightly bloody digit. Blood was already beginning to leak out, so she quickly infused her entire arm with chakra. The familiar sensation of numb _nothing_ flooded through her body and down to her fingertips, and Rae winced at the feeling of, well, _not_ feeling.

Regular chakra was just plain _uncomfortable._ Nothing like the icy coldness of water changed chakra, or the fire-y warmth of fire changed chakra.

She placed her thumb down on the paper and begin the process of writing out her name -

She immediately paused before she could finish the first stroke. She looked up at Manabu-sensei with wide, worried eyes.

"Which name?"

He blinked slowly for a moment, seemingly unknowing of what she meant by the question. A moment goes by before he nods, understanding in his eyes. Which name does she write - Rae, Kei, Keiko? Does she add Shimizu to the end if she writes Rae?

Which one?

He looked deep in her eyes, a serious expression overcoming his face for a moment that did not suit him. It was harder than his usual stern look of annoyance, and much rougher than his occasional, rare smile.

"Remember the three promises - Loyalty, Family, and Honesty."

Rae chants the three words in her head, over and over again. Yet she could not understand what he meant. What was he saying? That she should use her family's name, Keiko Shimizu?

"Be _honest._ "

And then she understood.

A firm, determined look crossed over her features, and she nodded once in understanding. She turned to look down at the paper again, moving her thumb away from the small splotch of blood that had fallen at her pause. Her hand moves as she writes down the strokes of her name -

 _Rae_

She pauses when she is finished writing the name, takes one quick glance at Manabu-sensei's proud grin, and adds two words to the paper. After she finished writing her name - _her full name_ \- she maneuvers her fingers to touch her bloody thumb against each digit. When each finger tip was coated in her own chakra-infused blood, she smiled and pressed it down onto the bottom of the no-longer-empty square.

Immediately after raising her hand from the yellow paper, everything she wrote down glowed a bright blue. She paused in surprise, but did not panic as she saw Manabu-sensei perfectly calm. Not a moment later, the blue faded, and her written name and her handprint of blood all became a darker shade of red, as if the blood had suddenly dried permanently into the paper.

The same color as the previous owner's names.

She stands up, noticing that she really didn't feel any different than before - not that she thought something _would_ be different, it just seemed the tiniest bit anticlimactic honestly - and stared down at the paper. Five names written in blood, all dried and the same dark, faded red color, stood out on the yellow-white paper. Hers was the brightest, the most recent. She grinned down at the words as the scroll began closing itself automatically.

 _Rae no Suna_

"Welp, there you go kiddo," Manabu-sensei spoke as he tied up the brown string around the large scroll contract. Roba, who had been watching the scene silently from the background, walked up and grabbed the scroll in his mouth. For a moment, Rae was afraid he was about to cause the same Earthquake as before just to put the huge thing away, but instead she found the large Coyote staring at her with a warm gleam in his eyes, then disappearing in a puff of smoke, scroll and all.

Manabu-sensei clapped his hands together and grinned at her.

"Summon one of your buddies!"

She blinks, then her eyes go wide in understanding.

"Is this why you made them stay in their home today? Because you wanted me to summon one of them?"

He grinned.

"You caught me. Go ahead, summon one of 'em. I recommend doing the smallest one, so it'll have the least drain on your chakra storage. I don't want to have to carry you home today."

Though his words seemed harsh, he was smiling good naturedly, and Rae returned the happy expression.

She began to mold the chakra in her stomach and formed the first seal needed for the summoning jutsu. She'd seen Kenta and Manabu-sensei both do this jutsu far too many times to _not_ really know how to do it.

The feeling of the chakra coursing through her body was.. different. It was not the same mind-numbing nothing that regular chakra was, the feeling of something being so big and _empty_ and just waiting to be filled with something. It was... warm? Not the same kind of warmth she felt when doing a Fire Jutsu, either. It was not a physical kind of warmth, like a warm blanket or a nice fire. It was... an emotional kind of warmth.

It was... contentment.

Her hand, already bloody from the signing of the contract, slammed down onto the ground the same way she'd seen Manabu-sensei do it countless times before, the fuzzy, warm chakra coursing through her body, a single coyote in mind, and she whispered, " _summoning jutsu_ ".

A cloud of smoke appeared, and Rae immediately felt the drain. No, it wasn't just a drain - it was a _disappearance._ Suddenly, the chakra she usually could feel buzzing just underneath her skin was _gone_ just like it always was at the end of the day in this past month.

She knew, now, why Manabu-sensei had told her not to use this in the battlefield without furthering her chakra stores.

She could only just barely catch Kira's confused face staring at her in apprehension before Rae fell backwards and everything went dark.

* * *

((A/N: Ta-da! Like I said, the summoning was in this chapter. Nice. Finally got something write haha.

As I mentioned to you guys in the above A/N, tell me what kinds of things you want me to write about in the Omakes stories - they can be extra time with Naruto or Kenta or anyone else, it can be some more Kamiko stuff, it can be how Emiko or Kazuhiko has been these last few chapters, anything! Leave a review with what you want to read about and I'll start writing them (:

Question!: I have no question this chapter except for the above - what kinds of things do you want to read about over in Naruto Tidbits.

See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	36. Welcome Back

((A/N: I don't know why I made such a big fuss about 30 chapters in since it's going by so damn quickly lmao. It was big at the time, I guess. Oh well. Reponses to reviews!:

Moonacre BunBun: good for them indeed

Ori Heartlyng: Don't sweat it hon! Work comes before play, I know that very well. I can't tell you whether your theory is true or not just yet, but I can tell you at least one of the points you made is true... Have fun guessing which one though lol. However, I won't be able to write an Omake about what happened to her any time soon, because something important is going to come up in a while that is going to talk about what happened to her and why she is having... memory 'issues'. :)

readthishit: I can write you an omake about Mikoto and Emiko being gossiping mommas together no problemo! I can also do the Coyote Home one, and I'm thinking about doing the Kenta one. I don't know about the Itachi omake because I am god-awful at writing Chuunin exams(seriously, dude, I might cry if I even attempt it) so it'll probably be a no-go, but he'll talk lots about what happened while he was gone, when he gets back.

Ulsindhe- water affinity in the desert? Well, I mean, it's not ... _impossible._ I guess. You'd just have to be a really talented water user, like Tobirama or something, and be able to pull water out of the air. Even then it'd still be pretty weak so ya I guess I can understand your hesitance at that idea lol. However, don't forget she is the younger sister to the feared White Flame of Konoha! That might have something to do with why she was in the desert :)

SandScorpion- Dang? You and Noahall left such long, heartfelt reviews and it's gonna make me sob. Don't do this to me pls. I'm glad you like the story so much! I'm excited to write it for you! I hope I don't disappoint :)

MrNoahall- As mentioned above, _wow,_ you left such a great review. I don't really have much to say about it, except sorry for making you believe I was going down a cliché road in the beginning? I've read a lot of Naruto fics in my time on FanFic(and I still do lol) so I try to avoid some of the much more taken roads than others. P.S. I'll add in a few more Itachi/Rae scenes, but I make no promises of making the ship real just yet haha. P.P.S. I figured seven new characters might be a bit much for some people to take in at once, but I was trying to keep the Coyotes and their habits/culture as similar as real world Coyotes as I could. Coyotes in the real world usually have litters anywhere from 5-9, so I chose a number in between the two that I thought was good. Although I know I've been focusing more on writing certain Coyotes than others - like Umi, Akio, Kira, and sometimes Tsuru. I'll try to focus more on the others so it doesn't seem like they're just background characters.

This chapter is dedicated to MrNoahall and SandScorpion, who both kicked my ass into shape with some really heartfelt reviews that made my eyes water. As Noahall asked for, here's some more Rae/Itachi fluff later on in this chapter. Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Another month goes by in relative peacefulness, even if quite a few things happen in that time.

Jirouko turns a year old, first and foremost. He's officially switched from being swaddled in blankets twenty four seven, to now having a miniature wardrobe. It's adorable as all hell. His hair has grown out a bit more since the beginning as well. Where it used to be wild tufts of dark blue hair here and there, it now covered his whole head, and very obviously had a bit of a curl to the ends. Not enough to be considered the same wild intensity as her own hair, but Rae still felt rather smug about it. He still couldn't speak quite yet, nor could he even hope to walk anywhere when he was constantly demanding to be carried by the people around him - not that Rae minded it, of course. She'd have to force him to stay down on the ground eventually if she wanted him to learn to walk, though.

Secondly, Kenta finally came back from whatever hole he had crawled into for the past two months and a half. He had gotten four recommendations from other Jounin, of course, and all the time he had spent away was _actually_ away - out of the village, away. Apparently, there was a 'kind-of' Jounin Exam that nobody really tells you about. The kind where you have to go out on a Jounin-skill-needed mission. Two other Jounin had accompanied him, but they mostly stood back just to watch and examine what he did, how he acted, things like that.

So Kenta is a Jounin, now. He's still technically a 'pending-Jounin', which meant that, within the next three months, if he did anything terrible or childish enough, then the Hokage himself will come out of his hidey hole and kick his rear back into shape. Kind of. Kenta would get his Jounin promotion taken away if he did anything bad within the next three months, so it was like a probation of sorts, really.

He never started wearing the Jounin vest he was given - which is no surprise, really, considering he never wore the Chuunin vest, either. His daily wardrobe did change, though. Instead of the usual light grey and light blue yukata he was always wearing, he had changed into something 'a little more comfortable', as he'd put it. It was pretty much the same yukata, except in darker tones and short enough to just reach his thighs. He wore the classic dark blue Shinobi pants, with the ends tied up with white bandages, of course. His sandals hadn't changed, though - still the same wooden geta sandals as before. Other than that slight wardrobe change, he stayed pretty much the same.

Also he took to actually wearing his hitai-ate now. He'd told her, with a raised finger and a smug grin, that technically he'd always worn it, she just could never see it. He refused to answer when she asked where he'd hidden it in the past year that they've known each other, but he never answered with a straight answer. So now he wore it on his forehead, like any good little Leaf shinobi does.

Thirdly, and also one of the more important things, Sasuke's birthday came and went. He's was five years old now, and though he had cried into her shirt that Itachi couldn't be there for his fifth birthday, just one year away from entering the academy, he'd still been really excited and happy during the rest of his day. Rae had taken the time to spend the entire day with him, even if she felt odd about skipping training for the day. The kid needed it, especially since his own brother couldn't be there thanks to the Chuunin Exams.

Throughout the next month, Rae does the Chakra-extensive training exercises every now and again. Not for a full month at a time, like before, but for a few days and then a few days of rest. 'Rest' meaning she spends those few days doing regular training with Manabu-sensei.

Or, well, 'regular training', meaning they added the Coyotes into her training regime now.

"Remember," Manabu-sensei had told her when she'd asked why they needed to be there with her. They knew so many more jutsus than her, too. It was unfair, really. "They are your pack - you train together from a young age so that strong bonds can be formed. That's why they need to be here to train with us today. Get used to their styles, and they'll get used to yours, until eventually, you'll all be a dangerous, _functional_ team together. Got it?"

She had pursed her lips with hidden irritation, but agreed to it nonetheless. However, Manabu-sensei wasn't wrong at all, as she'd figured out in the oncoming weeks spent with them. When it came down to training, most of them actually got serious for the most part, rather than their usual childish banter, teasing, and restless running amock with far too much energy under their skin. Umi still tripped a lot, but with more physical training, he got the hang of getting up quicker, and managed to learn to roll over on the ground to avoid any attacks that might have been aimed at him during this time. Rae had laughed herself silly, claiming that they were pretty much just training a puppy how to roll over.

The broken rib she got when she was pelted with molten hot rocks - a combination of Umi's Earth jutsu and Inu's fire jutsu - was totally worth it.

The majority of that month went just like that. Kenta came back, so her usual water jutsu training resumed from there. She had never stopped her training with Satoshi-sensei, so her fire jutsus were getting pretty great as well, in her opinion at least. Satoshi-sensei always said that she could do better, but he never really talked about how she was _currently_ doing. Uchihas, dude. She drained herself of chakra for three nights out of a week - which was harder than before, by the way, due to her larger chakra stores now, but she still managed to get it done for the sake of getting better - then trained with Manabu-sensei and the Coyotes for the next three days. Manabu-sensei had told her that, considering how hard she was constantly working, she needed a rest day here and again, so on the seventh day of the week, everyone left her alone and she was free to do whatever. She visited Naruto several times on this occasion, which he was glad about(an understatement, she had to scrub his noodles off the wall when he'd thrown it in surprise at hearing that she would be coming over once a week). She even spent a few more lunches with Ino, most of the time she brought Sakura along with her. The two little girls had grown on her a bit since their first encounter, and Rae took to bringing Jirouko with her when she went out to these lunch dates, both so he could meet them, but also so he could get a bit of fresh air.

Emiko was about three to four months pregnant at the moment - she'd been nearly a month along when she first figured out she was pregnant in the first place. Kazuhiko had helped Rae clean out the old room, Keiko's old room, in preparation for the baby. They hadn't painted or decorated the newly emptied room at all, but Rae almost sighed a breath of relief when she knew that those old journals hidden underneath Keiko's bed were being locked away in boxes in the basement of the house. She had never once gone to read them, and for some odd reason, she was terrified of doing so. The thought of Keiko really being there inside of her, the thought of her _waking up_ inside of Rae's mind if she ever read those journals was always there. Always a bad taste on the tip of her tongue.

At the end of this hectic, yet somehow peaceful all the same, month - Itachi returned back to the village.

On one of Rae's forced off days, when she was contemplating how odd it was that she'd been in Konoha for well over a year by now and she had no idea when that had happened, she'd heard it in the distance.

Her training with her newly furnished Coyote senses had started almost immediately after she'd signed the summoning contract a month ago. She'd found out with no small amount of surprise that it was not just her smell that had been heightened - all five of her senses were sharper than normal. Where she'd felt the soft fabric of her blankets a month ago, she now felt clumps of sewn together strands of cotton under her fingertips. Where she used to taste the hint of barbeque when she went out to Teuchi's ramen shop with Naruto, she could almost name every ingredient she recognized in his soups. Her hearing, sight, and smell had all sharpened rather drastically, and it was almost nauseating to see and hear and _taste_ so many things at once now a days.

But it was because of this nauseating heightened sense of hearing, that she heard a cluster of women gossiping together in the markets. They talked about how the Chuunin Exams in Kirigakure - and wasn't that a thing, he'd never mentioned he was going to _Kiri_ of all places - had ended a little while ago and that the participants were on their way home. One helpful Uchiha women had excitedly squealed about her precious Clan Heir coming home, and oh how dreamy he was -

Rae left at that point. It was kind of sickening, really, to think that a full grown woman had it out for a ten year old boy.

He'd be about eleven soon, Rae realized distractedly as she made her way to the front gates. She walked at a calm pace, despite the storm of emotions she felt inside. Itachi had been the one person she trusted with everything - her feelings, her secrets, her thoughts and plans. She'd told him how her Clan had tried to keep her away from Naruto, and he'd told her to do what she thought was right. She had told him how she felt so burdened and weighed down by the responsibilities of her Clan, and he'd told her to only focus on one task at a time - think about what you _can_ do, not what you _can't_ do. He'd never told her exactly what to do, but rather, he'd given her advice every time she went over to talk to him, and it always worked out thanks to him. So she walked at a calm pace towards the front entrance to this village, despite the fact that she'd missed that idiot of a boy far more than she had realized she would.

When she arrived there, there were already people at the gates. It seemed they'd been waiting for the participants to return home just as she was planning on doing, as quite a few of them had blankets set out on the ground with plenty of picnic baskets filled with food lying around. Many of the people there were sitting in clumps of groups together, sharing food or recipes on how they made said food, talking together genially while they waited for family or friends to return home after the two month waiting period. One such group of people had a particular platinum blond in the center, being the whole attraction to the entirety of the group, as usual.

When she spotted Rae standing there at a loss, she grinned her usual grin and waved her over.

"Rae-nee! Come over here! You can sit with me and Nao-nii!"

Rae grinned at Ino's excited waving, which had gotten plenty of eyes staring in her direction. Doing her best to ignore the fleeting feeling of embarrassment crawling up her cheeks from all the curious gazes in her direction, she walks over to where Ino is sitting with a group of blondes. They might all be Clan members from the Yamanaka Clan, which might explain why Ino had just called one of them brother. Rae already knew Ino didn't have any siblings - not any blood related siblings, at least. She wouldn't go as far as to say she knew the little blonde girl enough to know she has no other immediate family members.

"Hello, Ino-chan." Rae takes a quick, curious glance around at all the blondes currently staring at her. "Ah, are you sure I should sit here? I can go sit somewhere else..."

Sitting in the center of a bunch of people renowned for being able to pick a person's mentality apart in moments? No, thank you. Rae doesn't really feel as if she has anything in particular to hide from anybody, but it still felt as if she was being scrutinized and judged about something when they all turned their blue - sometimes brown or hazel - eyes in her direction.

Ino, however, does not have the same ability to read how someone is currently feeling as the rest of her Clan has, and instead waves her hand dramatically in front of her face.

"Pft, nonsense! Come on, come sit down!"

She does so, however hesitantly, and keeps her eyes down at her hands as she fidgets. Somebody passes a plate of assorted, cut up fruit, and Rae happily took a few slices of apple.

"So, Rae-nee, who are you waiting for? Family? Friends? Or," she gasps dramatically, hands flying to cover her mouth as a sly grin breaks out on her face. "A _boyfriend?_ "

She chokes on her apple.

"No! No, Ino-chan, it's.. nothing like that, really! It's Itachi-kun, you know the Uchiha Heir?"

Ino blinks once, twice, three times, and then gasps again.

"You're boyfriend is the _Uchiha Heir?_ "

" _No,_ he's really just a friend, Ino-chan. He should be coming back today, I think."

Ino nods her platinum head of hair along with Rae's words, placing her hands on her hips in thought. She mutters under her breath, "I ship it", and Rae doesn't even ask what that means. She doesn't want to know. She doesn't want to know how a four year old girl can be so mentally scarring, either. Maybe it's just a perk of being born into the Yamanaka Clan.

"So who _is_ your boyfriend? If it isn't Itachi- _kun_ , who could it be? Do you have a secret boyfriend you're keeping secret from me, Rae-nee? Is it that grey haired guy? Is it the boy at the market that stares at you? Or is it that guy over there?"

Red steadily creeped up her cheeks.

"What? No, I don't have any boyfriend! There's no boy! What grey haired- you mean _Kakashi?_ What the hell do you mean by market - there's no boy in the market that stares, and what guy 'over there'-" Rae turns around to see where Ino was pointing at with her chubby, childish hand.

Only to promptly scream when Kenta's face appeared less than an inch away from hers.

Immediately back peddling right into a laughing Ino, Kenta's face broke out into a sly smile. He sits down beside her spot, legs crossed over each other in a delicate, very feminine looking way, and Rae scowls. Her face felt like the sun at that moment, and she really wanted to punch everybody.

"Hello, Kei-sama."

Ino perked up.

"Kei-sama? Oooh, yeah, the heiress," she mumbles to herself under her breath, one hand to her chin as if deep in thought. She looks down at the scowling Rae sprawled out on the ground, then up to the smiling boy in front of her. She grinned. "Yeah, I could totally see it!"

Kenta's mouth twitched, and Rae has the brief thought that perhaps _he_ understands the psycho babble coming from the younger girl's lips, but she doesn't bother asking. See no evil, hear no evil, right? Whatever the hell they were talking about was definitely, one hundred percent evil, for sure.

She lets out a gruff sigh that reminds her of Manabu-sensei, then brings a hand up to run it through her hair. It was shorter now, now that Kenta was back and could cut her hair for her again. Honestly, though, Rae had pretty much given up on the whole 'pretend to be a boy' scheme a while back. Not that it wasn't fun or ideal, for sure, but really, everybody was just confused about her right now. Some people called her Kei-kun, some people called her Rae-chan, and others just called her Nee-chan. Everybody who has been around her is very, very confused about what her gender is.

It's hilarious, and Rae doesn't intend on correcting anybody. They can all discuss what's in her pants on their own time.

No, wait. That sounded wrong.

Her scowl deepens.

"Oh wow, you're a Shinobi, too! Are you a Chuunin?" Ino's excited voice breaks Rae out of her thoughts, even if the scowl stays on her face. Kenta looks up at the childish look of wonder on the younger girl's face and smiles a pleasant smile that has her melting on the spot. Rae immediately feels the need to protect poor, innocent little Ino from falling for Kenta's boyish charms. She doesn't deserve that awful fate. Also, it's weird considering the age difference.

"No, I'm a probation-Jounin at the moment. My probation ends when I get my official promotion in two and a half months."

She grins and leans over Rae to get closer to him, eyes positively beaming.

"That's so cool! You look so young, too! How old are you, fourteen?"

"Fifteen, actually. Though I'll be turning sixteen this month."

At that, Rae's eyes snap open again from where they had shut themselves in the shade of Ino. She lifts her head to look at Kenta, and purses her lips. He'll be turning sixteen this month? Was it really October already? Her blue-red eyes widen when she gets another thought. If it's October, then it's got to be around Naruto's birthday too. No wonder he'd been so excited the last time she'd seen him.

"What day is today?" She blurts, hoping to hell and back that it isn't past the tenth just yet.

Kenta smiles.

"The eight of October. Two days away, I believe," his eyes narrow, and Rae knows he's on to her train of thought. The thought doesn't matter much to her, as she sighs a breath of relief. Thank Kami, she hadn't missed his birthday. Time had flown right out the window during all of her training, and Rae would have hated herself like nobody's business if she had forgotten to, at the very least, wish him a happy birthday in person. She knew as a matter of fact, however, that that was not what's going to happen on his birthday. She knows she'll get him a gift and spend as much time with him as she can. In two days she would still be doing her chakra exercises, but there's no reason she couldn't take him out for the day as well. Hell, she could consider it part of her training - walk him across the water on her back or something, or do some sneaking around with him. She knows how much he loves his pranks. Considering her stealth lessons with both Kenta and the Coyotes, she could definitely give him a few pointers.

Not that he'd need it, the kid was talented enough to somehow be able to hide from ANBU when they came looking for him. He always snickered and said it was all just fun and games, but anyone with that much talent needed to be praised for it.

Suddenly, Rae hears clamoring and excited laughter, and she looks up from her spot where she lay with her head in Ino's lap still. Her eyes widen.

The gates were opening, and groups of people were coming through them. The crowd attempting to come in through the gates was immediately blocked from Rae's sight when the crowd in front of the gates began their frantic search for family members or loved ones - hoping to every Kami that would listen that they would be there in that crowd, alive and well. Rae feels a sudden swell in her chest, and she clenches her teeth together. There was no way Itachi would have been badly injured or killed during the Chuunin Exams, right? He was the smartest, quickest, and most talented ten year old boy that Rae knew. Nobody could outshine him, right?

...

She still got up from Ino's lap and began searching through the crowd. She attempted to smell him or spot him out with her new, sharpened senses, but there were far too many people talking or laughing or _crying_ for her to be able to search through it correctly. She passed the sight of the elderly woman clutching a bandaged little boy in her arms, ignored the sight of the crying parents standing in front of a grim faced Jounin-sensei, and pushed right into the thick of the crowd in an attempt to find the boy with the shoulder-length black hair.

When she couldn't find him in minutes, she began to panic. No, there really was no way he would have died. He promised to come back in two months, didn't he? It's been two months - over two months, actually. She'll find him in this crowd, and she will yell at him for taking longer than he promised he would take, then she would probably hug him because she missed his sarcastic comments. Probably.

A hand landed on her shoulder, and Rae whirled around on her heel, rigid body tense and ready to punch whoever it was right in the face-

-Only to come face to face with a surprised looking Uchiha Heir.

Rae doesn't even waste the time to look him over, instead taking the step toward him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He tenses under her touch, but he eventually relaxes and places a single hand awkwardly on the top of her head, the other one patting her back in an attempt to calm her down. She was calm, though, so she has no idea why he was doing that.

"It's okay, Rae-chan, I'm okay, please don't cry."

He's an idiot if he thinks she would really cry for him.

She wiped her eyes on her sleeve anyway.

"Shut up, you idiot! You said two months, didn't you? That was more than two months, so I have to be angry at you for lying to me, and you better have gotten Chuunin rank for all the time you've been away, and what the hell? Who gave you permission to grow taller than me?"

Taking a half step back so she could look up at him, she narrowed her eyes at him and attempted to scowl, but she was a little bit excited to see him and it turned out more like a childish pout. True to her word, he had definitely grown while he was gone. He was an inch and a half taller than her by now, and she sniffed haughtily at his smug expression. He still looked a little bit worried and kind of confused from her spontaneous hug, but he still grinned at her when she mentioned their different heights. She used to taunt about how she was two inches taller than him all the time before he left.

She kind of feels like perhaps she wouldn't have.

...No, it was definitely worth it.

* * *

((A/N: So, ta-da! Itachi is back, Sasuke is five, Naruto is almost five, Kenta is almost sixteen, Emiko is three and a half months pregnant, Kazuhiko is probably stressed to hell and back between work, Clan shit, a rebellious daughter with amnesia, a baby son, and a pregnant wife. Poor babe. I need to give him a break, huh.

..maybe in the next chapter.

Question!: If you could throw my OCs into any _other_ fandom, which would it be and why? How do you think they'd fare in that world? I've been writing a lot of little one shot stories for a lot of different fandoms lately, so the idea of swapping worlds with OCs has been on my mind a lot lol. Might make a few stories for it in the Naruto Tidbits. Especially Fallout 4, something I've been playing a lot of lately...

See you next time! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	37. Happy Birthday, Otouto

((A/N: I don't know if I told you guys this yet, but school has officially ended for me now! I've gotten all of my tests and finals finished, and I got all A's and B's in all classes - something I'm rather proud of, if I do say so myself 8)

But anyway, onto the review responses!:

readthishit- dear lord, can you imagine what the Narutoverse would be like if tumblr existed there? My god... Also yes, Rae is adopting all of the children. All of them. How can anyone live in a world where a ten year old girl doesn't have ten billion babies under her wings, hmm?

Ulsindhe- Though it's true this story won't be following the Canon path, it doesn't mean nothing from canon will happen here. A lot of things will still be happening, some small and unimportant, and others big and world-changing. I'm not entirely sure if the Invasion will happen the _same way,_ but it'll still be happening in at least some sense, I can promise that. Also yeah, I really miss writing the Suna Family ): Gaara, Leo, and Happy have all grown on me, the poor babes need their albino chibi back in their lives. However, who said that they have to wait until the invasion to meet again? Her first C Rank might have something to do with travelling to another village... 8)

ALSO- I've been super duper busy lately. Sorry! I thought school ending would make this easier for me, give me more time to type up story chapters, you know? But boy was I wrong. I have so much regular work to do now that school doesn't take up my time, and I've been helping my father around the house a lot because he's getting old and my brothers are busy elsewhere most days. Chapters might come slower from here on out, or maybe not, I dunno. Either way, I'll be writing Omakes as often as I can and posting them soon after.

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Two days pass by rather quickly in Rae's opinion.

She had spent the rest of her break day within the walls of the Uchiha Main Family's house, as Mikoto had thrown a little 'get-together' for Itachi's welcome back party. It was mainly just Itachi, Sasuke, Mikoto, Rae, and Kenta there, since it was obvious Itachi didn't have much other friends. There were, however, many people who came by to congratulate him for his promotion, and several others who came by just to drop off some food and welcome Itachi back home. By the end of the day, Rae had been bringing home leftover sweets to her house, something of which Kazuhiko made her promise not to eat them for dinner when he was away at work most nights(he'd peered at her suspiciously when she said she wouldn't eat them for dinner).

The next day passed fairly quickly, even if Rae was downright exhausted by the end of that day. When Manabu-sensei said he'd 'make up for lost time' for every hour she spent away from her regular training regime, he really meant it. She'd never been that exhausted and downright dead on her feet, not even during the first month when she felt as if it couldn't get any worse.

The day after that, Rae got up at nearly four in the morning to prepare breakfast - one for Kazuhiko, who she knew had to be up at four thirty, and one for Naruto and herself. After setting the still warm, freshly made breakfast for her father into the fridge with a note taped to it, she took the two bentos for her and her pseudo little brother, and left the house. She hesitated on the front steps, then went back inside, stuffed the two bento boxes into a shoulder bag, then grabbed Jirouko to come along with her.

The Coyotes were all back in their own homes now, as Manabu-sensei and Roba had both deemed their 'bonding' time to be over by now. They would still come over every time she started her training for the week, but they no longer were obligated to spend every day and night with her. She had already told them about Naruto's birthday the day before, while they were training, and they all told her to pass along their well wishes and taunts of how difficult it'll be to become Hokage, but none of them could make it.

Not to mention Rae didn't feel like using the chakra necessary to summon any of them.

She'd upped her chakra stores to just barely have enough to summon two, sometimes three, of the Coyotes nowadays. Two if she'd already been using Chakra, and three if she had all her chakra still there and was fully prepared to be knocked unconscious immediately after summoning the third one.

"Naru-chan!" Rae called, standing at Naruto's front door to his apartment. It was nearly five thirty in the morning now, because Rae had gone to the market with Jirouko first after leaving the house. It really hadn't taken long for Rae to find a gift for him - she'd bought him something that had caught her eye the night she was walking home from Itachi's house. It was such a tacky little thing, and it was cheap as all hell, so it wasn't of a very high quality. However, she just couldn't help it when she found it. She'd laughed herself silly, and was one hundred percent sure Naruto would do the same when he saw it.

Besides, even if he didn't like it, she'd gotten him a second gift either way. The first one was more like a gag gift than anything, something to just make him crack a smile or two. The second one, however, she'd put some actual thought into. She was sure he would love it.

There was grumbling on the other side of the door. A moment later, Naruto's messy blond hair appeared in the doorway. He peered up at her in what was probably supposed to look like anger or depression for being woken up so early - but she wasn't buying it. The fact that he was _awake_ at this time right now meant that he knew perfectly well why she was here and what day it was today.

After giving him a disbelieving look, his faked anger disappeared, and he instead gave her a sheepish, yet bright grin.

She responded with a snort.

"Move, let me in," she mumbled, lightly kicking his leg with her own. One of her arms was full with babbling baby, the other was full with carrying her over the shoulder bag, which held both breakfasts she had made, and her two wrapped gifts for Naruto's birthday.

After settling herself down in front of his low coffee table, he immediately sat down in front of her on the other side of the table, poking at Jirouko's belly with his childish fingers. Jirouko let out high pitched squeals every time, attempting to either swat Naruto's hands away from him, or to put them in his mouth. Both of which made Naruto back away quickly.

The one year old baby boy was finally sitting up on his own now, rather than laying on something while swaddled in blankets. He still wore his diaper, of course, but he was also wearing a one-piece soft blue set of pajamas. They were fuzzy and warm, and he absolutely loved them. Most of the time, he refused to change into anything else. While sitting up on one side of the low table, he gripped onto the edge of the table with both hands in an attempt to make sure he didn't fall over, and peered around the room curiously.

Naruto, now apparently fed up with trying to get a reaction out of Jirouko, turned excited blue eyes in Rae's direction. He was still in his pajamas - plain white tee-shirt and blue boxers - and it looked as though he'd been up for only minutes before she'd arrived. Even though his school day started at six in the morning, he normally only ever got up at six thirty and just dealt with the yelling teachers later on. That, or he'd wait until someone else came to wake her up. 'Someone else' always being Rae, considering she was really the only person there who cared for the boy.

She grinned, and reached both hands into her bag.

Naruto's excited, wide eyes, narrowed at her in a childish pout when all she brought out were the two bentos she'd made for them.

"Nee-chan," he deadpanned.

"Now, now, Naru-chan, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Don't you know that?" She tisked in his direction, even as she casually brought out the gag gift, a small yellow and orange wrapped box, out beside the two bentos. Naruto's eyes immediately latched onto the bright colors, and he reached over to the fist-sized box. Rae snatched it up and gave him a warning glare.

A sheepish grin was all she got in return.

Naruto went and grabbed two pairs of chopsticks from his kitchen, and Rae pulled out the small jar of mashed fruits that she'd bought at the market earlier that morning. Jirouko had already eaten breakfast earlier, but Rae knew from experience that he'd throw a big fit if anyone ate around him without offering him something to eat as well. He wouldn't even eat it most of the time because he was already full, but he'd still be angry if they didn't _offer_ it to him at the very least.

When they began eating their breakfast, they made conversation about whatever came to mind, with the one year old boy sometimes adding in some kind of noise that nobody understood for whatever reasons.

"How has the Academy been, Naru-chan?"

"Great! I mean, it's super boring and the teachers are all stuck up fu-"

"Naruto."

"-jerks, but other than that, it's been pretty cool. It's super fun to prank the teachers, too! They have no idea it was me, even if I get yelled at most of the time anyway."

She smiles.

"Has anybody wished you a happy birthday?"

"...Nah, they don't talk to me a whole lot. They especially get real upset on my birthday. Maybe 'cos they'd feel weird for yelling at me on my birthday, y'know?"

Jirouko lets out a loud coo, stuffing his entire hand into the jar of mashed peaches. Rae nods her head in his direction, without ever taking her eyes off of the blond boy sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with his chopsticks - which was gross, by the way, he was supposed to be eating with those.

"What he said."

Naruto deadpanned and sent her a dry look. Rae grins.

"Happy birthday, Naru-chan."

The dry look disappears, and it's replaced by a cheerful, bright grin sent in her direction. Jirouko, seemingly catching onto the happy energy in the room now, smiled brightly at the both of them, licking peaches off of his hand from time to time.

It doesn't take long for the two of them to finish their breakfasts - perhaps because Naruto had been eyeing the small, fist-sized box for the last several minutes since she'd arrived. She forced him to help her with the dishes first. After washing them and having Naruto dry them and put them in the strainer, something of which she bought after first helping him clean up his apartment, she made him take a bath next. He let a full out suspicious glare color his features at that point, entirely certain that she was purposely just trying to get him to stay away from his gift for as long as possible.

She's simply grinned in retaliation.

While he busied himself with bathing off the dirt he somehow accumulates in the middle of the night, Rae dug out the second gift from her bag. The second gift was larger than the first, about the size of a plate. It was in the shape of a rectangle with slightly round edges. There was no wrapping around it, but rather, it was in a cardboard box the just a size bigger than the actual gift itself. The cardboard box was a plain lime-green color, with a bright orange gift-bow on the top of the lid. She set the gift down at the edge of the table, nearest to where Naruto had been sitting moments before.

She pushed the box further into the center of the table after Jirouko made several valiant efforts to grab the bow off the top of the box.

It was bright and puffy, so Rae couldn't blame him for wanting it. He pouted at her every time she made him stop trying to grab for it.

When Naruto stepped out of the bathroom, wearing his school outfit and pouting at her with a look of impatience, he immediately stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed that the amount of gifts on his table had doubled since he last looked at them. He stared down at the boxes, looked up at Rae, then grinned. He made a move to sit down.

"Put your laundry in the laundry basket."

He let out a loud groan, but immediately set out to do what she'd told him to do.

When finished, he sat down in front of her, beside the baby boy who kept trying to grab the box. Rae opened her mouth to speak, and Naruto shot her an impatient glare. It was nothing more than absolutely adorable on his face, but she shut her mouth anyway. She didn't really have anything else to say to him about cleaning up anyway.

So instead, she smiled softly, and pushed the smaller box towards him.

He didn't need to be told twice - or once, really, she hadn't even told him anything yet - and immediately made to open the wrapping. Rae supposes he was afraid that if he went too slow she would come up with something else for him to clean first. She couldn't help the grin on her face.

He finished opening the wrapping, and pulled off the lid of the box excitedly.

He stared in confusion.

"You gave me Ramen?" He asked, narrowed eyes pointed in her direction. Rae snorted, trying to keep her laughter down. She reached over the table and held out her hands to grab for the box, which he handed over with a suspicious look.

"No, no, it's not actual Ramen. You see," she pulled out the small necklace. The chain was silver and slightly plastic looking - as mentioned before, it was a rather cheap thing - and there was a small, plastic flower-looking object at the bottom. It was white with light a single light pink swirl in the center, and the edges were puffy. She held up the necklace with a grin. "This thing is called a _Narutomaki._ It goes in Ramen - but, uh, this isn't actual food, it's just a plastic decoration."

Naruto's eyes widen slightly at the name of the not-food object, and he takes the necklace back. He begins examining the small plastic thing he had seen often in his Ramen bowls, and Rae shrugged with a small smile on her face.

"I thought it was just funny. You know, 'cos you're named after that and all. Thought maybe you could wear it to school."

She says that last sentence with a sarcastic, teasing tilt to her voice, but Naruto looks up with wide, happy eyes.

"Hell yeah!"

"Language."

"Heck yeah!"

He immediately moves to put the necklace on himself, and since he was still so small, it slipped on over his head easily. He let it rest over his clothing, the white and pink swirled pendant obvious against the bright orange of his jacket. He held the pendant in his hands, grinning, then looked up at her.

"This is great! I never knew I was named after Ramen! Maybe that's why Ramen's so great - 'cos it got it's name from _me!_ Ha!"

Rae held back on explaining that, technically, he got his name from Ramen and not the other way around, and simply smiled at him. She hadn't expected him to actually wear it, honestly.

She grabbed the box's lid before Jirouko could stick it in his mouth, and pushed the second gift over to Naruto.

He opened it just as quickly as the first one, eyes wide and excited at the idea of getting another great gift. However, just like the first, he was immediately confused when peering down at the open box. He reaches his hand in and grabs the gift, pulling it out to hold it up to the light. A small, black bag greeted him. It was only about the size of a dinner plate, and it had latches on either end of it so you could clip it to something for easier carrying. The outside seemed completely empty, but the bag had bumps in it that meant there was obviously something inside of it.

Naruto, however, was instead drawn to the orange lettering on the outside of the bag.

He grins at it, hands tracing the hand-sewn letters happily. There, his own name was spelled out in bright orange, _Naruto Uzumaki._

"Open it, Naru-chan," Rae smiles. She really hoped he liked this one. Though, judging by his excited reaction to the gift that was supposed to just be a _joke,_ she doubted he would hate this one at all.

And he did not disappoint.

When first viewing the contents of the bag, he looked as if he was having difficulty processing what he was seeing. His face went blank, then to curious, then to understanding, then his eyes got impossibly wide and began swimming with unshed tears. He whipped his head up to see his pseudo older sister figure smiling at him from across the table. He looked as though he didn't know whether to cry or shout aloud.

While he was distracted, Jirouko took this time to grab the bow off the top of the box. Nobody bothered to stop him, even if Rae did send him a suspicious look.

"Nee-chan?"

She focused her eyes back to the blond boy. She smiled again.

"What? You look like you've never seen a pranking kit before, otouto."

She scooted closer to his side, leaning over the table to point at each individual object inside the small bag.

"You see? Here's the lock picking stuff - I know you don't know how to do that yet, but I can get Kenta to teach you, he's super good at that kind of sneaky stuff - and right here is a bunch of written instructions for how to make homemade itching powder, since I know you love the stuff. Here's some smoke bombs, but you can fill them with horrible smelling gas, which I still think is hilarious. And here, look - this one's my favorite - it's a little buzzer! You can set it down somewhere, and when someone touches it it'll let out a small shock! Nice, huh?"

She pointed to each object while she explained them. The lock picking set had several small needle-looking objects in it for picking apart the tumblers of a lock, and they were a golden yellow color. There was, in one side of the bag, a small stack of square papers, which each held the instructions for how to make smoke bombs, itching powder, stink bombs, or some weird green goopy stuff from scratch in your own home kitchen. There were also some already premade smoke bombs in the bag, but for safety's sake, they were empty. The last thing, the small electrical buzzer Rae adored, was about the size of a regular ring. It was a simple band of metal, a muted orange in color, and had a small, bright yellow 'gem' on one side that would activate the buzzer and release electricity. She really didn't know how it worked, but she loved it.

Naruto let out a loud hiccup, and when Rae looked down, she was greeted by the sight of a runny-nosed little blond boy, looking up at her with wide, watery eyes and a huge grin.

He set the bag down on the table, and leaned over the small coffee table to latch onto Rae. She let out a surprised grunt, but wrapped her arms around him as well. His stomach and legs rested on the top of the table as he had leaned right over it to hug her, and his scrawny arms wrapped around her neck and shoulders. Rae let out a quiet laugh and leaned down to hug him better, so he wasn't bending his back to reach up to her. He was taller nowadays, of course, but he was still pretty small for his age.

Jirouko looked on at the scene in utter confusion, then let out a loud babble to grab their attention. He had no idea what was going on, really, but he knew he didn't want to be left out of it. Plus it looked like a hug - he wanted a hug, too.

So Naruto reached over and grabbed the baby boy with both arms, pulling him closer in between him and Rae. Jirouko scooched around in Rae's lap for a whole minute, trying to find the most comfortable spot to sit in for the time being. When he was finished, he held out both hands to either side of him expectantly. Rae leaned in and hugged him tight to herself, and Naruto did the same on the either side. When he was safely sandwiched in between the two bigger kids, he was finally satisfied.

"Happy Birthday, otouto."

* * *

((A/N: Ta-da! Shorter chapter than usual, whoops. it's only 4.1k words, but it's no biggie I guess.

Anyway, as stated above, I will be taking longer to get out chapters for the story due to life being a bitch to me. Not to mention we only have two laptops in this house, so I kind of have to get into an all out brawl with my four brothers and little sister just to use one of them for a while.

heh... yeah.

Question!: Should Jirouko become a Shinobi when he's older? He has Clan blood in him, not only that but he has _main branch_ Clan blood in him, which makes him naturally stronger than the other members of his clan and a hell of a lot naturally stronger than any civilian. But should he become a shinobi, or should he settle down with a content civilian life? Maybe he can take over as Clan Heir and let his dear nee-chan elope with Itachi and Kenta to Suna...? Let me know what you think should become of Jirouko's future!

That's about it for this chapter. See you next time around. Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	38. Family and Guilt

((A/N: Hello! This one took longer than usual to get out. Sorry guys. In fifteen days, this story will be a full year old! Unfortunately, just like I've been busy with this story itself, I've been too busy to write the omakes as well. I'll get them done, don't you worry your pretty little heads, just don't expect them in the next few days. They'll be out before fifteen days is up, though. At least a few of them will, that is. Responses to reviews!:

Moonacre BunBun- I'm glad you love baby Jirouko! I'm having so much fun writing him as a cute lil baby boy. The only thing I find even funner than that is imagining him as he grows up. God, I can't wait to write his teenage years. Rebellious little shit, he shall be.

MrNoahall- hhh dude I love your reviews. You're very well worded and make a lot of good points. Also, you're very flattering. If you think your flattery will get chapters out quicker, then... well... you're kinda right. :I As for the time framing, you mentioned you were confused about it? It was morning when Rae went over to his apartment for breakfast with him. I tried to make that clear by stating what time she got up and how much time she spent in the market with Jirouko before going straight to his apartment. I'm pretty amused you say Kenta is an 'odd one' for whatever reason haha. I just find it so funny that nobody can quite tell what his motives/plans are. I suppose I've been writing his correctly, then! Thank you for the compliments, and don't worry about posting it twice(three times, actually). It's all cool.

Ori Heartlyng- You see, I would love to make an Omake with anybody's feelings for Rae, but I kind of want how they truly feel about her to remain a secret for just a little while longer. In the future, yes, it'll become apparent as to who likes her, who hates her, and who _loves_ her, but for now they're all pretty much whiny little babies so love will have to wait for a little bit longer. And yes! Jirouko shall not be pressured by his Clan like both of his older sisters are(and were...), so he'll be able to end up making his own choices this time around! Hopefully. Maybe. Honestly, there's no promise he'll even survive (:

Readthishit- Hell yeah that kit will be seen in action in the future chapters! That's kind of why I described it and the necklace well, because I want to emphasize how important they were to Naruto. They are, after all, the very first time someone willingly gave him something for his birthday. They're super important to him.

orangana- Yeah, i'm seriously contemplating finding a way to get her to Suna soon. Maybe as a C-rank mission to another village? Perhaps. We'll see how it all works out in given time, I suppose.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Two more months go by with nothing important to show for it. Training resumed as usual, three days with taijutsu and ninjutsu and then three days with chakra exhaustion. That particular training went on for another month, then Rae decided not to do it for the next month. Constant chakra exhaustion made her feel weak and tired even when she wasn't doing the exercises, so she'd wait before doing some more of it. Besides, she had just enough chakra in store by now to summon three of her coyote pals before exhaustion would take hold of her. Pretty darn good, if she does say so herself.

Which she does, because there was really nobody else around to say it for her.

Kenta, now as an official Jounin of The Leaf, was required to train at least one team of Genin. Apparently it's a thing all Jounin do at some point in their career, and Kenta decided to do his early on. Rae was excited for him, and more than glad for all the juicy gossip his new team loves to share with her, but him having to spend time with his Genin team meant that he couldn't spend much time with her.

Manabu-sensei was gone, now, too. He was away on a long mission, and apparently when he'll be coming back is a strict 'need to know' basis - something of which Rae does not count as. She has no idea where he's gone or what he's doing, and it makes her anxious. She doesn't doubt his abilities, and she knows she can always contact the Coyotes if she was really desperate enough to know how he was doing, but she still felt... nervous. Like when Itachi left and she had nobody to be honest with.

Speaking of the prodigy child, however, is another issue. He's gone again. Right after she'd gotten him back, too.

Itachi joined ANBU.

He never came right out and told her, of course, because that would be against regulations. ANBU are supposed to be kept secret, their identities both as a Shinobi and as an ANBU Agent are kept hidden in the shadows to protect them and those they care about. So, no, he never came out and told her he was in ANBU. Not verbally, at least. He started wearing longer sleeves, however, and he always keeps a tanto on him nowadays. By the look in his eyes when he spotted her staring at his sleeve-covered shoulder, he knows that she knows. He seemed glad for it, glad to know he didn't have to keep it a secret from _everybody._

Rae thinks that, perhaps, this honesty goes both ways. Maybe he was glad to have someone to be completely honest with, too.

Back on the topic of how alone Rae currently was, however.

Itachi joining ANBU was a huge career jump for him, and, like before, Rae was proud and excited for him. He was proud too, even if he didn't seem too excited for it like she was for him. Either way, being in ANBU meant he was even busier than ever. Rae hardly saw him. In fact, she only saw him twice in the last two months, and one of those occasions was just spotting him on the other side of a busy street at the market.

Her father was also gone, now. He'd taken up some missions in the southern part of the village, far away from where the Shimizu Clan Compound lay. Rae half thought that maybe it was just to get away from Emiko. She was six, almost seven months pregnant now, and while Kazuhiko had shown no small amount of excitement for the coming baby, he was still more tired than ever. Rae felt pity for him, when she sees him working late with bags under his eyes and graying hair. He sent her off with a smile and a 'I'm alright, Kei-chan' whenever she asked how he was doing. It was a lie, of course, and both of them knew it. If Emiko knew it, she didn't seem to care. She never commented on it, and only ever asked him where her current cravings were.

With every day she spent in that house, her care for her father grew, and her care for her mother dwindled. Emiko seemed to all the world as if she'd just... given up. On everything. Maybe it was Rae who caused her to act like this, and for that, Rae felt a stabbing pain of regret in her chest. She couldn't shake the idea that perhaps it was her who had torn this family apart. Emiko and Kazuhiko seemed like such a happy, young couple together when Rae had first arrived nearly two years ago. Now, Emiko seemed as if she didn't care about anything but this new baby, and Kazuhiko was driving himself into a frenzy trying to keep everything together.

Which is probably why she started learning more about her Clan duties.

She still hated it - the idea of being a Clan Heir. She would have told them outright that she refuted her own position as Heir long ago, if only she didn't know that if she did as much, it would all fall onto Jirouko's shoulders. She wouldn't want to put that kind of stress and prison-like mentality on anyone, especially not somebody she loved and cared for so much.

However, it was her growing regret for what she was doing to her father that caused her to start taking on a few of the duties. Small things, mind you. She sure as hell didn't intend to suddenly take over in the course of one night. Kazuhiko was excited that Rae was taking more of a role in the Clan, and Emiko... almost looked like she cared.

More than once, Rae had caught the older woman staring at her from across the room or out a window. She'd be silent for a moment, then she would look pained, as if suddenly remembering something that caused her so much hurt and heartache, and she'd cover her mouth and leave.

Rae and Emiko did not speak to each other again.

There was a tenseness in the house, now. To be fair, there was always a tenseness in the house, really. In the past, however, it was only due to her amnesia and her lack of care for the Clan she was supposed to love. Now, it was so obvious and thick you could cut it with a kunai. Kazuhiko hardly came home anymore. He was always busy with his missions or Clan work, and when he was home he was there to eat and sleep. Rae barely saw him sometimes when he was rushing out the door for work. Emiko seemed broken. She would sit on the couch, or stay in her room for days at a time, and Rae had to, on multiple occasions, bring food up to her room for her to eat. She seemed like she would refuse it, tell Rae to leave and never come back, but she would place a hand on her round stomach and accept the food anyway. Rae was... coping. She would never love this village like she loved Suna, and she would never consider it her home like the desert was, but that didn't mean she wanted to see these people hurt. She did, when she first came here, yes. And deep down, she still has a flame burning inside of her that begs to be released, to let the world know how much she hated them and how much she wished everything would burn just so she could go back home. But Rae was coping.

And Jirouko... well, he was the only part of the family that did not seem torn down and struggling to be rebuilt. He was crawling around, now, and every now and again Rae will spot him attempting to stand on his feet, only to fall over onto his rear end again. He'd either giggle about it or cry for his sister to come pick him up whenever that happened. She always complied, always dropped what she was working on to go help him back up again.

Jirouko was a bright light in the darkness of this broken family, and Rae would not allow him to become a casualty of this burning home. She would not let him, nor this new baby, be brought down with the rest of them when it finally fell. They would be safe, even if Rae herself would fall as well.

* * *

Rae hums a soft lullaby under her breath, patting Jirouko's back as he sits in her lap. His face was pressed into the soft fabric of her shirt, his small fists were clenched tightly into her shirt as well. He drifted off to sleep easily moment before, and Rae hummed a small, quiet lullaby to him every time he fidgeted in his sleep.

"What song is that?"

She didn't pause in her humming, nor did she start for the sudden voice, but she did turn her head to look at the voice behind her.

Kazuhiko stood in the doorway of the entrance of his home, staring down at Rae with a softness and content in his eyes that she hadn't seen him wear in a long time. He was dressed for work, and his blue cloak with the Shimizu Emblem stitched into the front and back was draped across his arm. Rae had gotten up early, far earlier than usual, when she'd heard Jirouko crying in his bedroom. She'd taken him outside to sit on the porch and watch the sun rise while she lulled him back to sleep. She hadn't known, however, that she'd gotten up even before her father had.

"It's a lullaby that Leo taught me."

And then the soft content in his features was gone, and he looked pained, as if she had just struck him. She might as well have, honesty. She knows that he knew who she was talking about. She'd spoken of Leo and Happy often in this village, especially when she was angry and wanted to shout at her parents for keeping her here. She knows it pains him to hear her still talking about them with fondness in her voice, and as much as it made her feel guilty for making him hurt like this, this was something she would not filter for him. Not for him, not for anybody. Leo and Happy had been her first family, and they will continue to hold that title in her head and heart.

"Le-o," he sounded slowly with an odd face, as if the foreign name tasted strange on his tongue. He was silent for a moment, then nodded his head. He began walking forward and he shut the front door behind him. Rae scooted over for him to walk past, mindful of the way Jirouko was shuffled in her lap. She waited patiently for him to walk past her, knowing he was probably a little late to work right now.

Imagine her surprise when he stops and sits down next to her.

"Tou-san?" She asked, uncertain. She didn't mind the company, of course, but she was confused. He had work and missions, and Clan things.

He let out a weary sigh and looked off at the slowly rising sun.

"I think... I'll watch the sunrise with you today, Kei-chan."

And he didn't say anything else. Rae stared at him for a moment longer, taking in his tired expression. His dark blue hair had grown out in the two years she'd been here, and it was tied back into a low ponytail behind his shoulders. It was the same kind of hairstyle Leo would wear when it got too hot inside for his liking. Perhaps that was why she thought it fit him, even if he was not the same kind of man that Leo was. Kazuhiko's dark eyes were faded, as if losing the light out of them, and he had stress lines etched into his features. He had recently shaved, she knows, but there was a shadow of a beard still on his lower chin. His back was hunched just slightly, and he looked as if he just wanted to rest.

Not just to sleep, but...

Rest.

And Rae feels another stab of guilt, knowing it was her fault he felt and looked this way.

So she turns her blue-red eyes back to the rising sun, and she doesn't say anything. Not until Kazuhiko breaks the silence first.

"How is Jirou-chan doing?"

"Fine," came her automatic reply. Her brows furrow immediately afterward, however, and she feels guilty again. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way. "He's doing fine. He's trying to learn how to walk, but he falls over every two seconds..."

He lets out a quiet chuckle, and Rae winces at how tired it sounded.

"How is your training going?"

She sends him a quick glance at the abrupt topic change, but answers either way.

"Alright. Kenta isn't here, so I've just been focusing on my fire jutsu training with Satoshi-sensei. He wants to teach me the Grand Fireball Jutsu, but he says it'll have to wait until I'm more experienced." Kazuhiko nods along with her words, quietly listening. "Manabu-sensei is away on missions, so I can't really train with him anymore until he gets back. Um... I've started learning how to pull water out of the air, but I can't really do it yet. Kenta says it's too difficult for someone my age, he says that not even he can do it most days."

"It's a difficult feat. I've only really done it once or twice. Kenta-san is very talented indeed to be able to do it on multiple occasions."

She nods.

"Yeah, he's really good with water jutsus. Oh, and Satoshi-sensei started teaching me some non-elemental jutsus as well. I've learned the replacement jutsu already, but I'm kind of struggling with the shadow clone one."

"Why is that?"

She shrugs.

"I don't know. I keep trying, but every time I end up making one, it looks completely different than me. Satoshi-sensei said it was amazing that I could do a shadow clone and a henge at the same time, but I didn't mean to do that, so I guess it's not really skill. Just dumb luck."

"I don't see why it can't be both."

She turns to look at him with a raised brow, and he grins down at her. He laughs, and she lets out a snort in an effort to not join in with him.

And maybe there was a little bit more light in his eyes than before.

They both settle down after a moment to laugh, and Kazuhiko lets out a sigh. He seems calmer than before. Happier, maybe.

"Hey, uh," Rae begins, but trails off uncertainly. He turns to look at her with a questioning gaze. She clears her throat. "I know kaa-san went to the doctors a few days ago to have them check on the baby... I was just, uh, wondering.."

His eyes light up a little bit, and he smiles when he realizes what she's trying to ask.

He takes a deep breath in.

"It's a boy."

She nods.

Truth be told, Rae wasn't expecting it. Really, she wasn't expecting anything, actually. Yes, there was a baby. Yes, it would be born as a boy or a girl. It wasn't as though she could change their gender, though. It wasn't as if she _wanted_ to change the gender, either. She is silent for a moment and lets the knowledge sink in. Soon, in less than three months, her newest sibling would be born. A younger brother.

She smiled.

Jirouko will at least have somebody his age to play with, then. He'll never get lonely whenever Rae has to leave for training, as long as he has someone else to keep him company. The two children will only be about a year, maybe a year and a half, apart in age.

"Your Genin exams are in two months."

The smile slips from her face. Her eyes widen as she thinks over his words, and her head whips to the side to face him with wide, incredulous eyes and an open mouth. Her messy white hair, tied up in a high ponytail, hits her cheek when she turns, but she doesn't notice it much. She was much more interested in what the hell her father just told her.

" _What?_ "

He sighs, as if he expected this.

"I take it Kenta-san failed to inform you of this..."

"Kenta is busy with his Genin team! I haven't seen him in weeks! No, he hasn't 'informed me of this'! When are the exams? What are they about? Why didn't you tell me _sooner?"_

Kazuhiko leans down and places a comforting hand on her shoulder, eyeing her with a knowing expression. She wonders briefly if perhaps he was this panicked when his Exams came up.

"Calm down, Kei-chan. You'll be fine. They're in two months, which is more than enough time for you to complete whatever you have to do next. The Genin exams are simple and easy, they're just to get you started on your Shinobi career. You don't have to worry about them."

She wants to shout some more, to push his hand off and yell at him for being so calm when something 'as simple' as the Exam that would decide the fate of her career as a ninja was coming up so soon. Instead, she pauses and hyperventilates for a moment. Kazuhiko smiles reassuringly and squeezes her shoulder gently, and she takes in a deep breath to calm her nerves.

It's alright, it's just the Genin Exams. They're simple, he said so himself. And he would know, right? Since he took them himself when he was younger? Good, good, then there was nothing to worry about...

...

She stands up quickly, holding a now fussy Jirouko out for her father to take.

"I have to go train!"

Kazuhiko looks startled for a moment, but takes his son into his arms either way. He watches as his youngest daughter runs inside the house to go change into her training clothing, a little bit panicked. What had he said that made her panic so much? He'd been trying to be reassuring, not dissuading. He furrows his brows and looks down at his fussy son, who had immediately started getting antsy when his sister's familiar warmth disappeared in the cool, early morning. Cradling the baby in the crook of his elbow, he attempts to calm him down by rubbing the baby's belly with his other hand.

A second later, Rae runs out the front door again. She barely breathes out a "okay bye!" and a haphazard poke to her brother's stomach before she's running off to the Shimizu Clan training grounds.

Jirouko lets out a happy coo at the familiar, but fleeting feeling, and Kazuhiko looks at the spot where his daughter's head of messy white hair was quickly disappearing.

My, she had gotten fast.

* * *

((A/N: Hello! Thank you for your patience, and I'm sorry this chapter took longer than usual. Y'all are so great to me, I don't deserve such nice people reading my stories ;~;

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Itachi has just joined ANBU and Rae is barely just starting her Shinobi career - in two months or so, haha. There will be more information about Kenta and his new Genin team in later chapters, and I will definitely be writing an omake for him(probably directly after posting this, I have so many ideas to write his lil team of genin). Emiko and Rae have officially just... stopped trying to have a relationship with each other and kind of just awkwardly live in the same house together. Kazuhiko is becoming a better dad and suffering from stress, and he's bonding with his two remaining children yay. Rae is panicky about a simple test. Poor babe.

Question!: What do you think Rae will specialize in when she starts her career as a Shinobi? Everyone has a specialization - infiltration, ninjutsu, spying(cough cough Kenta cough), taijutsu, kenjutsu, yada yada. What do you think Rae will be best at when she gets older?

That's about it for now. See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	39. Check Ins

((A/N: Hello! Welcome to the next chapter! I've begun writing this on the same night I posted chapter 38, so let's see how long it'll take for me to finish it and post it for you guys... If it does come out on the same night, or the next day afterwards, then consider it my apology for taking so long for the last chapter! If it takes just as long as last time... pls don't kill me ;-;

Responses to reviews!:

readthishit- Yes, the white fire probably is a pretty big giveaway isn't it? Lol. Also yes! I didn't realize that until you mentioned it, actually! Kenta's Genin team will be in the same Chuunin Exams as Rae will be in! Nice. I have to write some drama for when that time comes, don't I? Yes, yes I do. And don't worry, the massacre will be here pretty soon :) And yes, I do already have a name chosen for her new brother. Unless I find one I like better, I'll most likely stick with it.

guest69- First of all, nice name my man. Second of all, no I will not tell you the secrets to my story. They're called secrets for a reason 8^)

May525- Dude, I totally forgot that I wanted to write some stuff for how the Suna Fam is doing. I'll probably write those first lmao. look for them soon! And who knows? Maybe Jirouko might actually take over as Head of the Shimizu Clan. Maybe Rae will decide 'fuck it all' and run off home to the desert fams. Who knows, right?

FUN FACT: This chapter does not have ANY RAE IN IT at all! Or, rather, nothing from her perspective. This entire chapter is dedicated to catching up on the characters I leave out of most chapters, to see how they've been doing and what they're up to. Really, this chapter mostly just consists of a bunch of mini omakes about what goes on behind the scenes lol.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

"Manabu-san! We need you on the left!"

The dark haired man in question cursed under his breath, panting heavily and placing a blood-covered hand over the wound in his shoulder. It wasn't serious, thank every Kami in existence that would listen to him. At this point, probably not very many, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered to the man was how he was going to get across a clearing the size of a stadium filled to the brim with Iwa shinobi.

Iwa shinobi out for his blood, that is.

Not only his in particular, of course. He was popular among his enemies, sure, but not _that_ popular. It was really just unlucky for his squad in particular to have run into this group of shinobi. They had been resting in their camps, and when the dark haired man led his troops through, he hadn't expected to find them waiting with their weapons at the ready. The Iwa shinobi hadn't been waiting for them per se, but they knew they weren't alone, and they'd been prepared.

Manabu hadn't been.

His eyes, narrowed and dark, took in his surroundings as quickly as he could, gathering information. Where could he go? Which was the best direction? How could he avoid fighting? If he couldn't, how could he survive the fight?

He had to act quickly. His troops were surrounded, losing hope by every second, their lives not too far after.

He took one more wild, quick look to his surrounding, sends one more loud curse to the heavens above, and slams both hands into the muddy, bloodied ground underneath him, where the earth had been torn and shredded from various weapons and jutsus. There were more than just a few scorch marks in the dirt, and the puddles on the ground were plenty, though he knew most of them had come from him, himself.

The Chakra was already swirling inside of him, raging like a wild beast waiting for be set free.

He grinned a feral, sharp-toothed grin at his own analogy, and when the smoke cleared, two more sets of snarling, sharp teeth appeared with his own.

They asked no questions. Both giant Coyotes, easily twice the height of a full grown man, took one look around at their surroundings, took one quick sniff of the air to know who was ally and who was enemy, and jumped straight into the fray to aid their summoner in his fight.

Manabu himself joined not a second later, tanto slicing through every brown and red outfit he saw, leaving more red in his wake.

It did not take him long to get to his troops.

* * *

Tired blue eyes looked up from where they had been staring down at a stack of papers. A slender, skinny armed man stood in front of a wooden brown desk, grinning widely down at the exhausted man.

"Kazuhiko-sama! Good morning!"

Kazuhiko shut his eyes and rubbed his temples with both hands, fending off the already growing headache. He didn't hate his coworkers, he really didn't. On most days he enjoyed the smaller man's hyperactive, loud attitude. He was a happy, joyous man, who loved to smile and laugh and make friends.

But today...

Today Kazuhiko could not find the energy in himself to smile back.

"It's afternoon, Ibo-san."

"Good afternoon, Kazuhiko-sama!"

"Yes, good afternoon, Ibo-san."

He waved his hand in a shooing gesture, hoping that maybe he and his cheerful attitude would leave and bother someone else. He really needed to get through this work, and soon. Maybe if he got it done quick enough, he could return home early tonight. Maybe he could see his wife before she went to bed cradling her stomach in both arms. Maybe he could see his daughter before she locked herself away in her room to bond with her Coyote Summons in private. Maybe he could see his baby boy before he, too, was locked away inside of his daughter's room for the night.

He let out a dry, humorless laugh with more than just a hint of bitterness.

No, he'd been hoping for all of that for two months now. It would not happen now, just because he was once again asking for it to happen. It never happens.

He would return home late as usual, his dinner in the fridge growing cold by the second, his wife sleeping alone in their shared bed, his daughter avoiding him and coddling his only son.

Well.

No. Jirouko would not be his only son for long.

The thought brought Kazuhiko out of his depression-filled stupor, and he glared down at the paperwork below him.

He cursed the very ground that grew the trees that gave birth to this paper; and while he was at it, he might as well curse every drop of ink in existence as well. How dare this word-filled paper demand his attention so much as to keep him away from his own family? His dear wife who he cared for, who had been distant and strange ever since their youngest daughter disappeared all that time ago? His children, who he was, in equal measures, proud of and worried for? How dare his work keep him from home to be a part of his newest child's life?

He would be there when the child was born, of that he was certain. He would not dismiss this child, as he had done with his eldest. He would not forget this child, as he had done with his middle. He would not weep in sorrow at the sight of this child, as he did and still does with his youngest.

He would weep, but he would weep in joy.

He straightened his back, and he glared down at the paper in front of him, and he set his pen to the paper and began to scratch away furiously.

He would forever seek an atonement for the wrong he'd done to his children. Whether he got it or not, he did not know, and it did not matter.

But he would try.

* * *

Naruto sniggered, holding both of his dirt and paint covered hands in front of his mouth in order to keep his laughter down.

It didn't work, and the shinobi chasing him zeroed in on his hiding spot. Seeing as he was already spotted, Naruto dropped his hands and let himself laugh out loud; loud and clear and bright and _mocking._

The shinobi bristled at his laughter, their faces going red in anger and embarrassment. A few of them threatened to hurt him, even going as far as reaching into their kunai bags with a threatening look on their features, but Naruto wasn't afraid. If anything, he would rather like them to try. He'd be too quick for them to really hit, of course, but if he did get a cut, then Nee-chan would patch up his wounds and take him out for Ramen, like she did every time he got a 'boo-boo'(which she calls it. He had no say in this childish name for a simple cut or two).

He stood from his hiding spot, a small, narrow space that only someone as small as he could fit into. Nee-chan had taught him that the best places for him to hide in were not the darker places, because Shinobi could often see in the dark, or even sense his chakra(which was cool, by the way). Instead, she'd wisely told him, that the best spaces for him to hide in were the places they could not follow him into.

So he stood up from his narrow space, climbed up to stand on top of a roof's building, cupped his hands around his mouth even though Nee-chan told him that he didn't need it with how loud he was on a regular basis, and he shouted down at the fuming group of men-

"YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS!"

And off he went.

He did not bother containing his gleeful laughter as he ran, not even as he could hear their footsteps following after him in a hurry. As he ran, he patted the small black and orange bag full of tools, a happy grin on his face. It was there, of course, as was his plastic necklace. He'd made extra sure to take good care of both items. He might actually cry if either of those items were to get a single scratch on them, no matter how childish everybody tells him that crying is. Nee-chan says it's okay for people to cry when they're sad, so it's fine, because she would understand it if he cried.

But it was all there, and he grinned as the wind flew through his spiky blond hair.

Today was a great day.

* * *

Today was not a great day.

It took a lot to make a man break down, especially a Clansmen.

So here Kenta Shimizu stood, his smile strained and sharp as the many blades lining his inner yukata jacket sleeves, his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to view the sight in front of him. He could feel his eye twitching, seriously.

The three smaller, younger children in front of him were both, in equal measure, amused and terrified.

Good.

They should be.

Kenta takes one deep, deep breath in, counts to five, then lets it out slowly. The smile remains sharp, but it is a little less strained this time around. He opens his eyes slowly.

He should not have opened his eyes.

All three Genin on his team were looking up at him with wide, innocent-looking puppy dog eyes. They had pouts on their faces, and each of them were clutching at the hems of their dirty, juice-soaked shirts. Their faces were covered in food and something slimy he was only half-curious about knowing of, and one of them was desperately trying to hide the large, yellow stain on the front of his shirt. It was not working.

He shut his eyes again, and maybe his smile was a little bit strained again.

"So," he began. He knew how his voice must have been so calm, so clear and smooth and inconspicuous, if the way the three children in front of him stiffened in fear was anything to go by. He lets out a quick, quiet laugh. "Would any of you care to tell me how you could mess up this badly on a simple D-rank mission?"

They shared a look. Two of them immediately stepped backwards, and the third was left gaping at them in betrayal.

Their willingness to give up their third teammate was a serious issue that Kenta would have to fix in the future, of course, but right now he just wanted to know _how. How did they do this. It was such a simple, small mission. **How.**_

The third teammate, a young boy with wide, chocolate brown eyes and curly brown hair of the same color, stared up at Kenta with wide, scared eyes. He visibly gulped, and opened his mouth to try to stammer out a response. When it didn't work, his tan features flushed in embarrassment. When the small boy looked about ready to cry, Kenta opened his mouth and spoke.

"Akemi-chan, tell me what happened here."

The only kunoichi of the team visibly jumped when she heard her name being called. She sputtered, probably confused as all hell as to why _she_ was being called to answer when she and her other teammate had very obviously left it up to their eldest teammate - which was awful, she knows. He may be the oldest and the tallest of the three of them, but he was the gentlest of them all. Of course he couldn't handle going up against their Jounin-sensei personally. They all knew he was a terrifying man when he got angry - they never knew when he was angry. He was always smiling. Always so calm.

It was _horrifying._

Akemi turned her head to look up at their sensei, her brown-red hair swiveling with her head. Her eyes, a muddy brown that looked almost green like moss, blinked twice before she could comprehend what he'd asked of her. He stood there, calm and quiet, smile on his face and eyes shut calmly, looking for all the world as if he just asked her how the weather was today. Her freckled cheeks heated up.

"I-I, uh- w-we, uh- I-it was Ka-chan!" She immediately pointed to her left, where the third teammate stood quietly. He, too, looked rather terrified when he was mentioned. Also rather betrayed. His hair, the same color and length as the other girl's, bobbed on his head when he turned to gape at her. His freckled cheeks heated up to the same shade, as well. The two did look rather a lot like each other. His eyes, shades lighter than the girl's, were wide in fear.

" _WHAT?!_ IF YOU'RE GOING TO BLAME ME, AT LEAST DON'T USE THAT BABY NAME!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU'RE SUCH A BABY, NII-CHAN!"

Ikao squawked in protest, as if he was more upset about his sister's words rather than her earlier betrayal.

"YOU'RE THE BABY, Y-YOU _BABY_!"

Kenta wanted to cry. Really.

* * *

Ino huffed, her chubby, childish cheeks puffing up in anger.

Some of the people around her cooed at how adorable it made her look, while others had the smarts and _decency_ to look a little bit afraid. They knew how scary a child's tantrum could be - especially when the child in question is the only child to the Head of the Yamanaka Clan.

Ino stamped her foot down on the ground and clenched her fists, shouting out in a rather squeaky voice,

"What do you _mean_ Rae-nee isn't here?! I want to see Rae-nee!"

A dark blue haired man looked down at Ino and gulped, a nervous smile on his face. He didn't know how to respond.

"W-well, Yamanaka-sama, she just... isn't here at the moment-"

" _Where_ is she, then? She promised to spend time with me and Sakura-chan! She doesn't break her promises, 'cos she's honest and great!"

He looked at a loss for words again. A white-haired woman, one of the shinobi guarding the front gates, took pity on the younger boy and stepped up, a calm, motherly smile on her beautiful features. Her hair, white and straight, was barely long enough to reach her shoulders, and her eyes squinted as she smiled politely and friendly-like down at the pouting child. A few of the others looked down at the pink-haired child beside the young Yamanaka Heir with pity in their eyes.

Sakura lowered her eyes to the ground and twiddled her thumbs. Her face felt like it was on fire. There were so many beautiful people here, and Ino was making such a scene, too! Oh Kami, they would never like her... She wondered if Rae would be mad at them for making a scene like this in front of her Clan's gates.

"Ino-chan," the kind, beautiful woman in front of them began in a polite, gentle voice. She just _sounded_ like she belonged in a castle!

"That's _sama,_ thank you very much!" Ino turned her head to the side in a pout. Most days she'd forgo such formality and ask to be friends with them all, but she was really, really looking forward to seeing Rae-nee today. She and Sakura had been practicing their flower talk together, and they wanted to show it to Rae-nee and she would be proud of them and give them hugs and good advice, like she always did.

"Ino-sama," the woman corrected herself without missing a beat. She didn't look upset in the slightest for being interrupted by a whining child. "Please, understand that Keiko-sama is very busy these days. Her training is taking up most of her time, and she is busy trying to prepare herself for the oncoming Genin Exams."

At this new information, Ino and Sakura both looked up at the older woman with wide, incredulous eyes.

" _What?!"_

They squealed at the same time. Ino looked upset and shocked, but Sakura had the decency to be a bit embarrassed at her outburst.

"When are the Exams supposed to be here?!"

The kind woman smiled.

"Less than two months, now. She is very busy training for her exams, so please understand that she doesn't have much time to visit friends. If you can wait until afterwards, then-"

Ino sniffed, but nodded her head. She turned on her heel and grabbed Sakura's hand, and the both of them left together, whispering furiously about their pseudo elder sister figure.

The kind, older woman smiled and smiled until they were out of sight, then her eye twitched.

"What a brat."

* * *

"Hokage-sama," a quiet, calm voice came from in front of the old, wooden desk. There was an older man with grey and white hair sitting in the seat, smoking on a pipe and staring into a small, circular orb. Hiruzen Saurtobi, the Hokage himself, looked up from the ball and greeted the taller but younger boy in front of him with a nod of his head. It was returned, and the Hokage sat back in his seat, looking down at the boy. He took a moment to take in a deep, deep breath, breathing in the tasteless smoke and breathing it out in a puff. When this long moment was over, he opened his mouth and spoke.

"Dog-san."

Grey, spiky hair raised when the boy's head raised in question. He was bowing, one fist on the ground and the other on his raised knee. A sign of pure respect for his Hokage.

"You may stand."

And he did so. His posture was tense enough to let the older man know that he was on guard, but loose enough to see that he was attempting to act casual. Poor boy, so young and yet so old. So much horrors has the young boy in front of him seen - enough that he felt the need to put on a mask of indifference and casualty just to feel safe in his own village again.

A pang of guilt ran through his chest, because Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that he was partly to blame for that mask.

Atop the younger boy's mask of indifference, was a very real, physical mask. That of a dog, with red markings and black holes for the eyes.

"What have you gathered?" He asked, despite the swirling of emotions storming inside of him. The boy didn't need any more burden on his plate, he knew, but he was the only one Hiruzen felt he could entrust with this task in particular.

The ANBU operative known as 'Dog' nodded his head once in understanding, then began to speak.

"She seems alright, for the most part. She has been focusing on training very much recently, probably due to the upcoming Genin Exams that she will be participating in. Her training is not what I'd consider a regular Genin's training to be like, but she is a Clan Heiress, so that isn't much to go by. She's already able to do a medium-sized water bullet, and has already begun learning the Dragon's Spitfire jutsu from one Satoshi Uchiha-san. Her Chakra levels are abnormally high, and she is capable of summoning three Coyote summons before she passes out from exertion. From what I gather, she will be doing even more Chakra exhaustion exercises in the future."

The Hokage nods his head, but he is not satisfied. It seems almost like the young girl's Clan is forcing her into this rigorous training. Now, he knows it is nothing like the training the late Kamiko Shimizu went through in her childhood, but it most definitely a lot more difficult and exhausting for a child her age to be doing, no matter whether she comes from a Clan background or not. To be summoning three creatures already? This early on in her life?

Hiruzen himself did not learn to summon the Monkey King until he was nearly twice her age.

His eyes, wrinkled in the corners and sharp with the wisdom that comes with age, narrow in thought and suspicion. When he'd ordered Dog to keep a close watch on the young girl, he hadn't expected to find something like this. Truthfully, he hadn't exactly know what he'd been expecting to find with her return, because, in all honesty, he did not think she would return.

From the night that she disappeared, the evidence pointing to who took her, to how they got in, who they hurt and who they _killed,_ Hiruzen had wisely accepted the fact that the girl would be dead before morning. When she was missing for over a year, he had mourned for the lost life of such a young flame, he had cursed out the name he knew deep in his bones to be responsible for her disappearance and apparent death, and he'd moved on.

So when she returned, over a year later, with a memory altering seal inside her mind and an animosity towards the Village she once called her Home, how could anybody look at him with disdain for planting a spy on her?

Hiruzen focused back on the young boy in front of him, and his eyes narrowed once more.

"Anything else?" He asked. But he knew what the answer would be already. And, as expected, Dog raised his head, and spoke the three words the older man dreaded to hear about the young, bright Heiress.

"She's hiding something."

And somewhere far, far away, hidden away in a cave that nobody knows exists, a snake laughs.

* * *

((A/N: ok so I meant for this chapter to be happy and laughter fun time, you know just to catch up with the characters and see what's up without Rae around, you know? And then I remembered, 'oh yeah, I actually have a somewhat planned out plot now. I should start implementing that' and then the last part of this chapter just kind of... wrote itself. It all has to do with the plot, so it's not made up on the spot, actually. What a surprise right?

Anyway, the majority of you will now know who it was exactly that kidnapped Keiko Shimizu from her bed nearly, what, three, four years ago now? And even if you don't know, I'm sure they'll be plenty of screaming going on in the reviews for you to make it out then. Huzzah.

Also there u go! That's why Kakashi has been 'bumping into' Rae all those times! He's spying on her! The two timing backstabber! :(

Question!: Why do you think Rae has a memory altering seal on her? Let me know your theories, wild or simple. I'm interested in your guys' ideas!

That's about it for now. See you next time around! Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	40. Upcoming Tests

((A/N: whoop whoop, the ever elusive CHAPTER FOURTY! Yay! I have nothing much to say here but thank you all so much for a FULL YEAR of this story! 40 chapters! 200 FAVORITES! 280 FOLLOWERS! ALMOST 200 REVIEWS! Y'all are so fantastic, my LOR D. I hope this chapter does not disappoint you wonderful people :'). I worked hard to get this out before the twentieth. Tomorrow, this story'll be a year old. Let's all sing happy birthday to my writing lol

Responses to reviews!:

readthishit- I know, right? Poor Rae baby. Yes, the kit that Rae gifted to Naruto for his birthday makes pranking easier nowadays, the lil shit. I tried to implement all of Kenta's Genin team's names in that little short in the last chapter, but it didn't work out and only two of them were named. Whoops. But yes! They are going to be in Rae's chuunin exams, and I'm not going to spoil who wins against who... you don't even know if they're going to fight each other or not 8^) Manabu-sensei is never not a badass, and Kazuhiko needs time to stop for a little while so he can just... find his chill.

Ori Heartlyng- I love your theory about how Rae was created to protect Keiko from whatever it was that Orochimaru was doing to her. It makes it seem like... something godawful happened in there... hehehe.. Anyway, how about you think of it this way; instead of Keiko going in 'shut down' mode and creating Rae's personality to defend herself, what if Keiko was forced into a shut down because of Orochimaru? Like, what if it wasn't something he did that was so mentally/physically awful that she needed to hide, what if he just forced her to not remember anything and then sent her away into the desert? Hm. I actually do have a psychological evaluation for Rae planned out in the future with the one and only Inoichi, so you'll see that soon... Thank you for your reviews! I can feel your love ;u;

May525- may, my man, my dude, you need to chill my friend. You have so many interesting, complex theories there, I can't keep track of them all.

Alexc123- Yeah, don't be mad at grey-hair dude, he has to do his job as ANBU Dog ): It's not as if he's betraying her either, since the two of them don't really _know_ each other... that you know of. 8^)

CHAARA ATE MY SOUL- Good. I love writing ending sentences that make people scream. It brings me joy. :)

Enjoy this chapter!))

* * *

Kenta's dark blue eyes flit back and forth between the two children standing a few feet in front of him.

On one side stood his Genin student, Akemi Hio. She was twelve years old and rather short for her age. Her hair, thick and curly and a muddy shade of red, curled around the edges of her face and forehead, ending just over her shoulders. The serious expression on her slightly tanned features was lost due to the round and chubby face, still holding its baby fat from her younger years. Her moss green eyes were squinted and glaring across the clearing at the other person there, scrunching up her rosy freckles. She stood with her back ram-rod straight, arms at her side and feet close together, at attention.

Kenta lifted his head, feeling his dark blue hair, which had grown out even longer than before, brush against the back of his neck. He opened his mouth.

"Get into position."

Akemi immediately did as she was told, and switched her position. Her body, which had been in a strict pose just moments before, smoothed down into a better position meant for fighting. Her opponent for this match across the clearing did the same.

Kenta's eyes flickered over to the other side, where the other person stood in a relaxed, calm pose, despite the serious expression in her eyes. Kenta smiled.

Rae stood calmly several feet away from Akemi, feet shoulder width apart, but relaxed. Her body was tense around the edges, but loose in the center. Her white head of wild hair was tied back into a high ponytail, which barely reached the back of her neck because of its short length. Her red speckled blue eyes, narrowed and calculating, were squarely on the older girl several feet in front of her. Rae's training outfit was the same as before, but better suited to her height and weight. None of her clothing was baggy like before, all form fitting and flexible. Her sandals, a darker blue than the usual shinobi sandals, were secured tightly with extra straps - she'd used to complain about how they kept falling off if she didn't tie them on tight enough during a fight. Her muted red skirt was the only cloth that flowed on her body, it reached her knees this time around and it flowed smoothly with every fluid motion from her body. Her dark grey shirt, sleeves ending at the elbows despite her hatred of the cold weather, held the Shimizu Clan emblem stitched firmly onto both shoulders.

For a moment, Rae's eyes flickered to Kenta's, and he smiled at her. The corner of her lips twitched, but she returned her attention back to the older, yet shorter, girl in front of her.

Kenta looked at the both of them for another moment. He opened his mouth.

"Begin!"

The older man standing beside Kenta, an Uchiha named Satoshi, blinked, and his eyes were red. His face was serious and his eyes were calculating, and they followed every movement of the fight. Kenta was suddenly very glad the Uchiha man was here, for the two younger girls who had been standing in front of them flickered out of sight the moment he let the sparring match begin.

Metal clashed loudly, and Kenta could see them again.

In the center of the clearing, both girls stood with their own weapons raised in front of themselves to shield them from their opponents weapons. Akemi, with her lesser strength and speed, held a tanto in her hands, one hand on the hilt and the other holding the flat blade's end so that the other girl couldn't push her backwards with it. It was a useless tactic, considering Rae was much stronger than the shorter girl and could easily overpower her if she tried hard enough. Rae held up a simple kunai in her hands, sharp enough to bruise, but not enough to actually draw blood, just like the training weapons that Manabu had used with her when they trained together.

Rae shifted her feet minutely, and Akemi's moss green eyes followed the movement. Momentarily distracted, the older girl did not notice when the younger of the two made a single hand sign and began to mold her chakra.

Akemi looked up in shock, and Rae took a deep breath in.

The older girl was smart, smart enough to jump out of the way with wide, surprised eyes. She just barely dodged the small water bullet Rae shot out at her. Clearly seeing that close quarters combat would not work out in her favor, Akemi began taking multiple leaps backwards.

Rae held her kunai in the palm of her hand and used both hands to mold hand signs, taking a breath in and feeling the familiar warm sensation of fire chakra running through her veins. She leans forward and lets out her breath, careful to avoid burning the top of her fingers - as she may or may not have done once or twice before - as she sends the wave of blue fire towards the older girl.

Rae doesn't see her move away from the tidal wave of flames, but she can feel a burst of chakra where the girl had once been. Her eyes narrowed, she twirls her kunai in her hands until it was in the correct position to slash at someone, and she turns on her heel, lashing out with her training weapon.

Akemi stops dead in her tracks, eyes wide and mouth open, when she feels the tip of Rae's blunted weapon digging into the soft skin at the base of her neck.

She blinks once, twice, and then sighs. Her posture relaxes and she drops her hands, and Rae does the same.

"Kei-sama wins this round," came Kenta's calm voice.

Akemi's face heats up in embarrassment at losing to someone younger than her, and she pouts, letting out a huff of breath. Rae offers a small, abashed smile to the older girl, fully aware of her anger at losing another round. Akemi sniffs and walks off to the side, where her brother was waiting. Rae lets out a sigh and walks to the two oldest people in the clearing.

Kenta smiles down at her, and Satoshi Uchiha lets his eyes linger red for a moment longer before closing them. When they open again, they are the same charcoal black that Rae is used to from her Uchiha teacher.

"So?" She asks, grinning.

"You're slow," Kenta offers up with a calm smile.

"You use up too much chakra," Satoshi follows up with in his deadpan tone.

"You give away when you're going to lunge."

"Your stance is-"

" _Alright,_ " Rae loudly interrupts, sour glare on her features. She grits her teeth and bites out a bitter, "Thanks a lot."

Satoshi sighs down at the young white haired girl, and he clasps his hands behind his back calmly.

"We are trying to help you get better, Kei-sama. You can't get better if you continually make the same mistakes over and over again. Kenta-san is right in what he says, your speed is not fast enough yet, and you narrow your eyes and grit your teeth right before you make a move. If any enemy notices these weak points in you, then-"

"But I'm not trying to get good enough to defeat any enemies! I'm not going onto a battlefield anytime soon! I just want to be able to pass the Genin exams!"

Kenta and Satoshi both look down at her with blank, somewhat surprised faces. Kenta's lips twitch after a short moment of silence, and he and the older Uchiha man share an exasperated glance.

"Kei-sama," Kenta begins gently. "You are well beyond what is considered capable Genin material."

Rae does not immediately understand what he means, and Satoshi begins speaking up soon after.

"You are aware of what the Chuunin exams are, yes?" He doesn't actually wait for an answer, but Rae nods anyway. "Chuunin exams are held twice a year, for any and all Genin teams who want to attempt to move on to the next rank in their career. Your Genin exams will be simple, any child who knows how to mold their chakra could do them with their eyes closed. However," here, he pauses for a moment and sends a glance to the Shimizu boy beside him. Kenta offers a smile.

"There will be Chuunin exams happening three months after your Genin exams. Kenta-san and I assumed you were trying to train for those?"

Rae openly gapes, and Kenta lets out a few silent chuckles. She probably would have punched him for it if she wasn't currently having a mini heart attack inside.

"The- the Chuunin exams? Three months after my Genin...? What? _What?_ " Rae grips her hair in both hands and lets out a frustrated shout. "WHY DOES NOBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS?!"

"We just did."

She digs her foot into the earth and punches Kenta in the gut as hard as she could muster. He doubles over and wheezes, and Rae places her other hand on his shoulder.

"I will murder you," she whispers.

She doesn't bother to wait around to hear his clever quip back, or to hear him chuckle about how angry she was getting at him. Instead, she turns around and runs off, raising her hand up in a half hearted wave back to the three Genin who were staring at her in open shock. Whether they were staring at her for having the gall to punch their Jonin Sensei in the gut or for something else, she didn't know.

* * *

"ITACHI!"

The nearly-eleven-years old boy doesn't jump in his seat from the loud voice, but he does let out a sigh. He turns to see his friend running towards him, waving her hands in the air wildly as if it would help her catch his attention. Truthfully, he'd noticed her chakra signature coming a while ago, especially considering she had been using chakra to enhance her speed for whatever reasons. There really was no reason for her to be acting like such a fool, with that idiotic grin on her face too.

His eyes narrow at the grin, immediately suspicious about what she might want.

She was carrying her single strap messenger bag with her, gripping it in one hand and using the other to wave at him.

"Kei-chan," he greets simply when he knows she is in ear shot. Itachi had, admittedly, also found it rather funny when he noticed the people in the village trying to figure out why so many people called the albino heiress by different genders or names. Funny enough to forego the whole 'pretend she's a boy' thing and simply call her with the appropriate honorific. Admittedly, he also rather liked the name Keiko.

Said girl slammed her hands down onto the wooden table he was sitting at, and Itachi calmly picked up his cup of tea before it could spill over. A few birds cawed and flew off with the loud noise, but he paid them no mind.

They were both currently in the shade under an old tree that had been created by the First Hokage long ago. Itachi was sitting on one side of a wooden bench, a pot of tea in the center of the table on a plate so it wouldn't burn the wooden table. There were two cups there, one that Itachi gripped in his hands calmly, and another that someone had taken a sip of and had left alone minutes ago. It was still warm, and hadn't spilled over when Rae had slammed her hands down.

The younger girl grinned down at her Uchiha friend, something that Itachi was immediately wary of. He placed his cup of warm tea back down onto the table and looked at her bag curiously.

"What's-"

She interrupts him.

"I'm gonna be a Chuunin in three months!"

Itachi paused mid sentence, mouth still open from when he'd tried to speak his words. He blinked and looked up at her.

"What?"

Her grin widened, and she sits down across from him under the shade of the old tree.

"My Genin exams are in, like, what, a week?" Itachi nods despite knowing it a hypothetical question. She nods with him and continues, a determined look on her face. "There are three tests I have to do during the Genin exams, I already know that, because Kenta can sometimes be pretty great and he told me what the tests are about. But anyway, three months after that, there will be Chuunin exams being held again. I know you took yours only about four months ago, but Satoshi-sensei says they hold them twice a year apparently."

Itachi nods along, because he already knew this.

"Satoshi-sensei says I might be able to join them when they come up."

Itachi nods.

"Only if your Sensei permits it, though."

Her smile falters.

"What? But Satoshi-sensei said the Exams are coming up soon. Why wouldn't he let me?"

Itachi shakes his head and takes a sip from his tea.

"No, I don't mean Satoshi-san. I mean when you graduate as a Genin and you get your Jonin-sensei. They will be the one in charge of whether or not you and your team enters into the next Chuunin exams. Kei-chan, you are pretty far beyond a normal Genin's skills, a lot of people know and recognize this, but the Chuunin exams... aren't something you enter alone. Your Jonin-sensei will have to take into account how good your other two teammates are, too, because they will both be entered into the Exams with you."

The smile is gone from her face completely, but she does not look upset or worried. She looks determined, and Itachi is glad to know he didn't crush her spirit.

She smacks her fist down into her palm, another smile on her face.

"That's fine! I'll just train with my other teammates, so we can all enter the Chuunin exams together in three months!"

Itachi lets a small smile slip onto his face, and he takes another sip of his tea.

"Why? Why can't you just wait until the Chuunin exams next year? You and your team will be ready for sure by then."

She pouts at him. "Itachi, no. If you think you can talk me out of trying my damn best to become a Chuunin in three months, you need to think again my friend. Kenta became a Jonin, you went and joined those shadowy pricks, and even Manabu-sensei has been working harder than before. I won't be left behind."

Itachi smiles at her description of his newest job rank, but his eyes take on a sadder tone at her last words.

"Not many people can become Chuunin at age ten."

"You became Chuunin at age ten."

"You're not me."

"And you're not _me._ "

They both go silent. Itachi stares into Rae's eyes, narrowed and serious. Rae stares back, just as serious and filled with determination. No, she would not be left behind like this. Everybody was moving onwards, doing everything they could to further their lives and careers as Shinobi. Why shouldn't she, then? Why should everybody else work their asses off and move up the ranks, but she should just sit back and watch? Why?

Why should she be abandoned like that?

"Hey! That's _my_ seat!"

Itachi looked surprised for a moment, probably taken off guard because of the serious atmosphere, but Rae just rolls her eyes.

"Too bad, you left, I took it," she replies, grabbing the cup of tea in front of her.

Sasuke openly gapes at her, carrying something in his muddy hands. When she grins at him and lifts the cup up to her lips to take a sip, he pouts and raises his hand. Something falls from his hand, and it plops down into the cup she was about to take a drink from. Cautious and confused, she pulled the cup back, mostly ignoring Itachi's quiet snickers on the other side of the table.

She takes one look into the cup, and then turns and immediately dumps it on the small boy's head. Instead of being angry about it, he lets out a triumphant laugh, pointing one muddy finger at her.

"HA! Teaches you to take _my_ tea!"

He then bends down and picks up the bug he had placed into his own cup of tea. Rae turns to Itachi.

"You have the worst brother in the history of brothers, dude."

Itachi shrugs, hiding his stupid grin behind his cup of tea.

"I rather like him. He's much more entertaining than your brother..."

Rae gapes.

"Jirou-chan is better than your brother! At least Jirou-chan doesn't go putting _creepy bugs_ into peoples' _tea!_ "

" _It was my tea!_ " Sasuke tries to defend himself, wiping his hands on his _white_ shorts. Rae shudders at the scene, eyeing the now dark brown streaked shorts with a deep, burning hatred. Itachi lets out his usual choke-snort and Rae turns to glare at him. The expression gets lost in the translation, and instead she looks as if she's trying to plead for help from this madness.

He turns his head away and hums innocently.

Rae thinks maybe she can feel her eye twitch.

She lets out a huff and pulls her bag into her lap, unlocking the plastic clasps on either side of the bag that kept it closed. She flipped it open and pulled out a bento box wrapped in a blue and grey cloth, courtesy of the Shimizu Clan.

"Fine. Neither of you get any of the snacks I brought."

Sasuke is the only one of the two Uchiha who openly pouts at the punishment of not getting any of the snack foods she brought with her. He plops down onto the bench next to her and leans towards her, doing his best to make the cutest puppy face he could make at the moment. With mud smudged cheeks and scratched up hands from digging around in the park dirt, it worked like a charm. Rae blew a raspberry, but she opened up the box and held it out to him anyway. He grinned.

When he reaches for a cookie, Rae pulls back the box and grabs the snack for him, handing it to him.

"I don't want you getting dirt onto the other snacks, dumb-dumb."

He looks torn between eating the sweet food or telling her off for calling him dumb. He does both, and Rae grimaces at the food he spits when he tries to tell her how much of a meanie she was - key word being 'tries', as she couldn't understand a damn thing he was saying with his mouth full.

She turns to mock Itachi for not getting any of her snacks, only to see him happily munching away on a dango stick.

Her smug expression immediately fell, and she looked down at the box in her hands. True enough, one of the two dango sticks she'd packed was now missing.

She glared up at Itachi.

He shrugged.

"So, what are you doing here anyway, Rae-nee?"

She huffs, deciding on letting the whole dango thing go for now - only for now, though, because Itachi will find that this is not the over just yet - and settles down into her seat to get more comfortable. Placing the bento box of sweets down in front of herself, she grabs a cookie for herself and begins munching on it, humming.

"I wanted to tell Itachi about the Chuunin exams coming up in three months."

Sasuke blinks, then starts, like he was already aware about the exams and only just now remembered about them. Makes sense, Itachi would probably have already told him about them.

"Oh yeah!" He turns in his seat, excitedly looking up at her. "You're going to be in them, right, Rae-nee?"

She nods, smiling.

"That's right! I'm gonna become a Genin next week, then I'm gonna go kick some other Genin butt three months later!"

Sasuke grins happily.

"Tou-sama says a lot of people will be going to the Chuunin exams this time! He says that most of the Kages will be there, but he said the main reason lots of people are excited about it is because the Kazekage has a daughter that might enter! They say she's really young, too, even younger than you! But, pft, that's not important, because my nii-san was a Genin when he was _five,_ so it doesn't matter if she's a Genin at seven. Right?"

Rae falters. Her smile feels a little bit frozen on her face, and she opens her mouth to speak. She pauses for a moment, then shuts her mouth.

She opens it again.

"The Kazekage's daughter?"

Itachi catches on.

"Kei-chan," he speaks softly. She turns to look at him, the smile now wiped from her face. He looks worried for a moment, then looked rather conflicted, as if deciding whether ot not it was worth it to tell her about whatever was on his mind. She shuts her mouth and thins her lips into a straight line, brows furrowing. Itachi sets his stick down.

"You do know the upcoming Exams are in Suna...?"

* * *

((A/N: So, not much happening in this chapter, but that's okay. The next chapter will either be Rae's genin exams, or maybe more about the other characters. The genin exams will either happen next chapter or on chapter 42, that much I can promise you.

also! we learned that Rae will be going back home in three months :) maybe. if her teacher agrees to it, that is. hehe...

Question!: Who do you think her Jonin sensei will be? Someone we're familiar with? A new OC? An old OC? A character from the show itself? Let me know what you think.

That's about it for now. Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	41. The First Test

((A/N: I am so, SO sorry this took this long to get out! I never meant to leave you all hanging at that last chapter, I swear it. Writer's block hits at the absolute WORST times, my friends. But I'm back! I'm still not quite feeling motivated enough to get chapters out as fast as I did before, but I'll try to get you guys one at least every once in a while. No more long ass waits, I promise. Responses to reviews!:

TheOneKrafter- One, so do I. I love them. Two, what about all her Konoha friends now? What about Naruto? Should she leave them all behind too? Three, me neither my dude. I'm hyped to write that. I'm hyped to reunite them, it's gonna be EMOTIONAL AS FRICK.

readthishit- An Uchiha OC, huh? I wonder who that might be... ;) I'll pass your messages of kicking all the ass onto my albino baby.

MrNoahall- Yeah, the fluffy fun times are coming to a close soon and the dark chapters are a-comin'. It won't be dark and brooding forever, of course, there will still be plenty of fun and joy in the upcoming chapters! However, it was bound to happen eventually. Your theories on her memory altering seal were fantastic! A few of them hit close to what I was aiming for, actually, haha. And yeah, the reunion with Gaara and Rae might not be the most... _pleasant_ of things, but it needs to happen. Like ripping off a Band-Aid, right? And don't you worry about your reviews, my friend! They're great, so I'll be excited to have them at all, no matter how infrequent. I wish you the best of luck in BF nowhere New Mexico haha.

Peppei- you are absolutely right! It was a mistake, and I went back and fixed it the moment I read your review. It says white hair now. Thank you!

fishy7073- Yeah, the whole Rae/Gaara thing feels more like a family than a pairing to me at this point. I'm glad you ship Rae/Kenta so hard! I love that ship too, they're so cute together. I love drawing them ugh. I love the fact that nobody really remembers that one nurses name. Maybe I'll make it a running gag that everybody always forgets it, and he just gets so _tired_ of it.

Once again you guys, I am super duper sorry for the long wait! I'll try to get this out as soon as possible, so bear with me here you guys. Don't give up on me just yet.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

Jirouko lets out a series of choked cries, reaching up and grasping at the air with puffy eyes and his mouth open. Kazuhiko grimaced, reaching down to pick up his crying son. Putting him against his hip, he did his best to console the crying child, but he knew there wasn't much he _could_ do to make the one year old feel better. Jirouko was teething, the last of his baby teeth growing in. Kazuhiko knew his son was crying because of the itching and the pain, and he didn't know how to make it stop for him. His wife had always been the one to take care of the girls when they were teething, but now she was unresponsive to everyone around her and refused to come out of their bedroom most days.

It was a worrying behavior - no, it was beyond worrying. Emiko had gotten into plenty of fights and arguments with their youngest daughter; they were parent and child, it just happens, there's no denying that. She had never once responded in this way, however. She had always been so calm and collected, like every other female member of their Clan. It was an aspect they all shared here. So why now, of all times, was she acting this way? She'd only started being difficult soon after their daughter had gone missing. It was natural, of course, for everything she had been through. She was the one who opened the door to the young Uchiha who carried Kamiko's broken sword. She had to watch her second daughter get taken and disappear for over a year.

And now, Keiko... she was different. She didn't remember them one bit. All the years he spent coddling and loving that little girl with the happy grin, the girl who would laugh and smile no matter the circumstances. The little girl who cried in his arms when her big sister died.

It seems as though she came back, physically but not mentally.

Kazuhiko is broken from his thoughts when his baby son tugs a little harshly on his hair. It didn't bother him one bit, of course, he'd been through worse in his career as a Shinobi, but he still grimaced at the idea of the pain his son must be going through at the moment. Poor boy.

"Tadaima!" A familiar voice calls from the doorway on the other side of the house. Jirouko's crying subsides just the slightest for a moment, but he continues his loud screaming and crying just a second later.

"Okaeri," Kazuhiko calls back, tired and weary. He turns around to greet his youngest daughter home with a barely there smile, still patting the baby boy's back and rocking him against his hip.

She was filthy and had bruises and scratches all over herself, and he eyes her wounds, attempting to find which ones were the worst and the deepest. She had been training night and day for the upcoming exams, always pushing herself past her limit and coming home barely standing on her wobbly feet. Of course, she was far, _far_ beyond what any Genin would need to pass their exams - he had seen to it himself that she could perform the simple three tests first - but it was not the Genin exams that she was training for now. Her Chuunin exams... only three months after her Genin exams. Kazuhiko had no doubt his daughter could pass those as well, even if he was nervous about her fighting others who had no qualms about _killing her_ , but it was mostly the location he was most upset about.

He had nothing against Suna personally, of course, but he was worried. His daughter came home not knowing her own parents' names, and Kazuhiko had spent these last several months working as hard as he could to build up a new relationship with her. It was rocky in the beginning, he had no trouble admitting that he was completely in the wrong at that point in time. He had been in denial of his daughter's delicate mental state, and it had caused him to react with anger. After she fought against Emiko - and by Kami, he had _hit her,_ something he had never done, not even to Kamiko when she was rebelling against them - and she disappeared for three days, he had taken some time to take a step back and _think._ He had realized how wrong he was all this time, and from that point onwards, he'd been trying his very hardest to rebuild what he had destroyed.

He did not want another failed relationship with his child.

"What's wrong, tou-san?" Keiko - _Rae_ , she was Rae now, not Keiko - asked him, panting and out of breath as she struggled to kick her shoes off without leaning down to do so. Her hair was a frizzed mess, and it looks as though she had been practicing her fire today with the Uchiha man, as the tips of her hair were singed. It was still mostly long, grown out to touch her shoulder blades now. He preferred her longer hair anyway. She looked more like her sister that way, even with the wild locks.

Kazuhiko sighed, pressing his son's face into his chest gently, trying to shush the child.

"Jirou-chan is still growing his teeth in, and it's painful and itchy for him. I don't know how to calm him down, he's been crying for hours.." He shuts his eyes, feeling his exhaustion clearly through every pore in his body. He hadn't had a proper sleep in weeks, always taking quick naps or four hours of rest before missions or work. This wasn't healthy, he knew, but it would all be worth it as long as his daughter would come back to him.

Rae stared for a moment, a slight sway as her body tilted for just a second, before she nodded and took a deep breath in to calm her erratic breaths. She turned and walked off into the kitchen, and Kazuhiko turns back to his son, trying to hum a lullaby he knew he liked.

As expected, it didn't work in the slightest.

A moment later, his daughter came back out of the kitchen, carrying a small, white cloth with something in it. She walked over to them, nearly tripping over herself in order to not fall on her wobbly legs, and she handed the cloth to Jirouko. The baby stopped crying for just a second in curiosity, letting out a hiccup or two every now and then, and he reached out and took the cloth. As expected of a baby who was currently teething, he immediately put it in his mouth and began chewing on it. Kazuhiko let out a tired chuckle and reached up to take it out of the baby's mouth, but was stopped when his daughter shook her head.

"No, no, it's for him to chew on. I put some peach slices in the freezer earlier, before I left. The itchiness will go away with something solid to chew on, and the pain will be numbed from the cold. Also peaches taste pretty great, so," she shrugged her shoulders, turning around and walking off. She cringed with every step she took up the stairs, and halfway through it Kazuhiko knew she was seriously contemplating just passing out on the couch.

"How do you know how to calm a teething child?" He asked, one brow raised. Jirouko was still letting out a quiet sob every now and again, and his face was still red and puffy from previous crying, but he was calm and mostly silent now, chewing on the frozen peach slowly.

Rae looked down at him from her spot on the staircase, and she paused. Both brows furrowed down on her face, as if she was confused about something.

"...I don't know.."

It was silent for a moment, before she simply shrugged and continued to walk up the steps, her movement slow and sluggish from how tired and in pain she was. Kazuhiko stared after her for a moment, confusion and shock clear on his tired face. He turned around and slumped heavily into the couch behind him, careful not to jar his son too much. He leaned back, and he let out a loud groan.

At least now he could sleep.

* * *

Rae couldn't sleep.

She didn't even attempt to do so, either. She paced back and forth in her bedroom, walking in circles over and over. Her hands fidgeted, running them over her hair - which was now clean and not singed. Kenta had given her a slight trim to her hair, so it was still long enough to her liking but the singed parts had been cut off. Her wild waves of albino hair were tied back into a neat, tight ponytail in the back of her head.

Today was the Genin exams.

Kenta and Itachi both, repeatedly, had told her that it was a simple, easy test, and it would both be laughably easy for her to pass, and would take hardly any time. No more than five minutes or so, they had told her. They'd ask her to do the three basic jutsus, and ask her a few questions about the Will of Fire and what it stood for, and what it meant to be a Leaf Village shinobi.

She still paced back and forth, running her hands over each other over and over in a repetitive pattern.

She paused.

She couldn't panic about this alone.

She turned around and took a few steps back so there was plenty of room in front of her, then she bit down on her thumb, carefully did three handsigns, and put her hand down on the ground gently - she didn't want to wake up either of her parents, especially not her father, who had only recently gotten back into the habit of sleeping at night rather than a quick power nap in the evening - muttering the phrase under her breath.

A puff of smoke later, Umi stood there, looking curious and confused. When he saw her there, crouched down on the ground in front of him with her hand on the ground, he relaxed his tense body. He'd been summoned before, but only once. He was one of the larger Coyote pups now, so it took more Chakra to summon him than it did to summon, say, Kira or Ari, so he didn't get summoned often, and the feeling still left his befuddled every now and again.

Rae stood back up, wiping her hand against her pajama yukata absent mindedly, leaving a few red smears in the blue fabric. Even at full height, Umi was almost just as tall as her now. Those Coyotes really grew fast, as his head of golden brown fur came up to her neck when she was standing at full height.

He leaned forward, eyes narrowed and ears flattened on his head, and he gave a few tentative sniffs to his Summoner.

"You smell nervous."

She let out a tense sigh, walking over to her bed and throwing herself down onto it.

"My Genin exams are later today. I'm so nervous, I think I might actually be panicking!"

She gathered her blankets and pillows into her arms, pushing her face down into the head of cloth. Umi's eyes went wide and he cringed back when he heard her screaming into the fabric. It was muffled greatly, of course, but his heightened sense of hearing allowed him to hear it as if she was screaming right into his ear. Anxious to make the noises stop, he creeped closer and hopped onto her bed, making her roll onto her side with the sudden change of weight on the bed. He walked in a circle once, then twice, then curled up into a circle. He pulled his tail away from his body and he lifted his head.

Rae stared for a moment, then she sighs tiredly, crawling up to curl up beside him. Umi wrapped his tail back around himself, placing his head on top of hers. Hopefully it was fluffy enough to muffle her better if she needed to scream again.

"Why are you panicking? Didn't Kenta-kun say they were, like, super duper easy? And Itachi-kun? And your tou-san? And Manabu-sama? And Satoshi-san-"

" _Okay,_ okay, I get it, everyone says they're easy! But you know what, everyone says anything is easy if you study enough! What if I didn't study enough? What if I fail it? If I fail the test, everybody will laugh and point fingers at me... I'm the Clan Heir to the Shimizu Clan, and I'm old enough to graduate... Everybody will laugh at me if I fail it. And everyone will leave me..."

Umi got nervous when he hears her sniffling, ears flattening against his head again. Oh Kami, he was not good with crying girls. He wasn't good with crying people in general, but especially not girls.

A low whine escapes his throat, and he leans down to press his nose against his summoner's cheek.

"Well, uh... I think you'll do fine! And so does everyone else, too! Even Roba-tou has confidence in you!"

She let out a loud groan, digging herself further into the small circle of fur.

"That's not helping! I'll just disappoint you _all!_ "

Umi officially had no ideas left to help her calm down. The whole 'we believe in you, you can do it' spit take was the only plan he could think of. His vibrant green eyes looked around the room, as if it would help him get an idea of how to calm her down. Eventually he lets out a gruff sigh and a quiet whine. It was obvious he was not the one for this job. He was never too good at comforting people.

"Why don't you summon one of the others, then? They can help you feel better, I'm sure!"

She sighs.

"I can't. I need to save my chakra for the test later today. I only have enough to summon one of you and be able to do whatever they require of me, I think. I don't exactly know what they are gonna ask me to do for them, but I just wanna be sure and not waste too much chakra."

Thought her words were mostly muffled under the scruff of his neck, he was able to hear her loud and clear.

"Oh..." He shuts his eyes and hums quietly in thought. What could he possibly do to cheer up his summoner? He really, really wasn't good with this. "Um... Well, can I come with you? For, like, support and all that?"

She sniffs.

"Yeah, I think. Thanks.."

He grins down at her, despite knowing she couldn't see it from underneath him.

"No problem!"

* * *

The walk to the Academy was longer than Rae would have thought, considering how close her Clan compound actually was to the school itself. Perhaps it was more nerves than the actual length of the walk, but it seemed to be such a long, bothersome walk. Especially considering the children standing around in the school yard stared at her as she walked past. The older kids who were there to take their Genin tests as well gave her knowing looks, and they mostly didn't bother her. It was the younger generation that gave her the most trouble. Particularly, the younger generation that she knew.

"NEE-CHAN!"

Rae was torn between shutting her eyes and sighing or turning and smiling. On the one hand, she loved the little goober, she truly did, but she was just so tense and nervous that she didn't have it in her to handle his energetic nature for now.

She turned and offered him a small smile either way.

The students gave the grinning blond boy nervous looks and cleared away from him when he ran over to greet her, and the teachers all gave her the stink eye for the most part. Perhaps because she just undid all their hard work of, what looked like, finally calming the ball of energy down. She gave the stink eye right back and, for good measure, stuck her tongue out childishly. Umi snickered beside her, rubbing at his nose with his paw as he waited for Naruto to come over.

Hey, anyone who gave her otouto trouble deserved that childish behavior from her.

"Hey otouto," she greets back, a little less enthusiastic than he had greeted her. Then again, she had never quite been able to greet him as enthusiastic as he always greeted her, so it was nothing out of the ordinary, really. Despite this, he bounded up to her giddily, a wide grin on his face.

"Are you here to watch? I'm gonna stick a leaf to my forehead! It'll be cool!"

His teacher's brows twitched in annoyance, as the blond boy had just, moments before, complaining about how boring it sounded. Rae sends a sharp smirk his way, and when she feels he is sufficiently shut down, she smiles softly down at her pseudo little brother.

"No, sorry, Naru-chan." He whined at the name, ears going pink at the edges. "I'm here to take my Genin exams."

He perked up immediately.

"Aw, no way! You're gonna become a real ninja today! You're so _cool,_ Nee-chan!" He leaned in and hugged her around her middle tightly. She lets out a quiet oof at the loss of breath, but she smiles and pats his head comfortingly.

"Yep! But if you squeeze me to death, I'm gonna be late and then I can't become a real ninja. We don't want that, do we?"

He lets out a quiet little whine, but he obediently takes a step back and pouts up at her.

"No... but okay. I guess you can go now."

She wants to scoff at the idea that he was giving her permission to leave, but she instead sweeps down into a low bow.

"My thanks, your Grace," she hums. Naruto takes up a high and mighty pose, chest puffed out and arms on his hips, and he nods. Then he points far off into the distance, where she definitely was not going, and he shouts loudly,

"Now, go! Be free! Become a badass!"

And she is off without another word, Umi trailing behind her while snickering to himself. When they are far enough away, roaming the halls of the Academy building, Umi finally speaks up. He is still sniggering loudly in an effort to not laugh out loud, and he has to take a deep breath in to calm himself before he speaks.

"You have the strangest friends, Rae-chan."

She shrugs.

* * *

It takes only a few more moments of nervous walking to find the entrance she was supposed to be going to. There was a small group of children behind a closed door, fidgeting with their pants or shirts, or some looking confident enough to look down their nose at all the others. She scoffed at those ones. Soon enough, she found herself standing beside the small group, a little bit away from them so she wouldn't attract any attention her way. Unfortunately, she existed, and therefor, attention was brought her way.

"Are you here for the Genin exams too?"

Rae shuts her eyes, repressing a short sigh of annoyance. She wasn't really upset at them, sure, but just standing still in a hallway full of nervous children made her remember just how panicky and antsy she was just a little while earlier. She opened her eyes and turned to look at the child who asked her the question.

She was an Inuzuka, that much was obvious from the get-go. She had long, spiky brown hair tied back into a low pony tail, tan skin, dark brown eyes, sharp teeth, and the eye-catching red triangles on her cheeks. Her clothing mainly consisted of brown cloth with white fur on the ends of it, as well as a small sash tied around her waist. She looked to be one of the more confident types of the children, her hands on her hips and one brow pitched curiously, looking over Rae and... smelling her? Yes, the other girl was leaning forward on the balls of her feet, sniffing at Rae's clothing with a curious expression on her face.

Ah, yes. Inuzuka and their dogs.

In retaliation, Rae leaned forward and took a big sniff of the other girl as well, which immediately garnered her an amused grin from the Inuzuka kid.

It was a little bit of a mistake, as Rae immediately gagged and lost composure of herself, leaning away from the girl and covering her nose with her hands. Umi immediately began laughing like crazy, until he got a big whiff of the girl as well, and turned around and simply walked off to stand beside the other children.

The Inuzuka girl laughed out loud, slapping one of her fabric-covered knees with her hand.

Rae kept one hand covered over her nose and pointed the other accusingly at the other girl, who was, she noted, pretty much the same height as her.

"What is that _smell?!_ "

The Inuzuka laughed for another moment or two before finally trying to collect herself, wiping a stray tear from her eye and taking several deep breaths in.

"Oh Kami, I know, _right?_ I hate it, too! Kaa-san says it keeps away the bugs, though, so she wanted me to wear it to school today." She leaned in close - despite Rae practically begging her to keep her distance - and whispered accusingly, "I think she has this thing against the Aburame.." Then she leaned back and nodded her head twice, as if affirming her own theory seriously. And then she pauses, and her eyes go wide.

"Oh, hey! You smelled it! You got ninken with you?" She leaned in again, from excitement this time.

Rae sighed, removing her hand slowly, very cautiously, and turning her head to the side to avoid the brunt of the smell. It smelled a lot like rotten meat mixed with soured milk. It was _awful._

"No, I'm contracted with coyotes. They're teaching me to, uh, smell stuff."

The Inuzuka girl nodded again. "Makes sense. My dogs are teaching me to hone my senses, too.. I've never met one of the Coyotes, though, even though Kaa-san says that the Coyotes and the Dogs are friends or something."

"More like family than friends. They kind of share blood, you know?"

"Oh, yeah. It makes sense, I suppose." She shrugs half heartedly, stuffing her hands into her pockets. Rae smiled. The Inuzuka girl acted like it didn't matter, but she seemed rather interested in the matter

The conversation kind of trails off there, and neither girl says anything for a little while afterwards. They stand beside each other and watch as other children are called into the room and leave minutes later, some with a grin and bright eyes, some with downcast expressions and nervous faces. Rae shifts on her feet and looks at the other girl through the corner of her eyes. She looks bored, but nervous. Her dark brown eyes were glancing around the room, and every now and again she would fidget with a piece of her clothing.

Rae holds out her hand.

"I'm Rae."

The girl looks surprised for a moment, but quickly grins and shakes her hand.

"Hana."

Rae smiles again, although it was less than genuine. The name sounded somewhat familiar to her, and it ticked away at her mind. She was silent for a moment before opening her mouth, about to ask if perhaps they'd met somewhere before, but was interrupted by another voice.

"Keiko Shimizu!"

Rae turned towards the voice - an older man standing in the doorway to the classroom the children were being tested in. He wore the usual Konoha Jounin outfit with a dark shirt, green vest, and blue pants tied down with white bandages. There was a scar across his nose as well, and his headband was tied tight across his forehead where most shinobi placed theirs.

"Keiko Shimizu!" He called again, looking down at a clipboard in his hand. Rae startles, realizing that he's calling for _her,_ and she moves forward. She looks back at the Inuzuka girl and smiles.

"Uh, nice meeting you Hana-san!"

The other girl waves back as well, and Rae moves toward the door, with Umi following behind her. Surprisingly enough, they did let Umi into the room with her, but he had to sit back a ways away from her. She didn't understand why, but it didn't matter. Him being there was comfort enough for her. The room was wide and spacy, and filled with desks and chairs - three chairs for each desk, all spaced a few feet apart and placed in an auditorium styled direction. There was a teacher's desk at the front of the room, right in front of a large black board, and the man from before was standing in front of it, clipboard in his hands still and one hand on his hip.

"My name is Iruka Umino, I'll be testing you for your Genin exams today, Keiko-chan. Do you have any questions?"

"Uh," she shifted on her feet, looking back at Umi for a moment. She sniffed, then looked back at the man, Iruka. "I prefer to be called Rae."

He starts for a moment, looking a little confused, but he nods either way.

"Alright, Rae-chan, we will begin the test, then."

* * *

Naruto keeps his snickers down as best he can, but they still spill out. His current teacher, who has been spending the last hour and a half to get him to sit still, was now covered in a white powder. The older man was glaring down at Naruto with all the fury he could muster, but Naruto had been in his seat the whole time so, of course, the man couldn't place the blame on him! It was something that Nee-chan had taught him - having an alibi for when it goes down makes it easier to pretend it wasn't you. He grins widely.

He couldn't wait to show how much he'd learned about pranking to his Nee-chan when she got out of her tests.

* * *

((A/N: That little tidbit at the end with Naruto was just for fun, because I felt like adding it in there haha. This chapter is over 5k words long, to (hopefully) make up for the lack of chapters recently. Hope you can forgive me! I wrote this one over the period of several days because I couldn't keep motivation to continue it for very long, so there may be some mistakes in here. let me know and I'll correct them when I can.

Anyway! Rae has finally taken her Genin test! I'll tell you whether she passed or not in the next chapter, as I felt the Genin exams are far too boring to write about. We all know our girl Rae would pass with flying colors, amiright?

Question!: Who do you think she'll be teamed up with? And yes, she will be placed on a regular team - three Genin, one Jounin.


	42. A Team In The Making

((A/N: Hello! I know this one was a bit of a wait as well, but I have a good reason for it this time! I am now a proud mama of three little rat babies! One of them I've had for a while, his name is Oreo, and he's a precious fat baby, the other two are new, they're named Licorice and Twizzler and are the Best Things Ever. I hope that's a sufficient excuse to being a little late this time around! Responses to reviews!:

readthishit- ahhh, thank you for your patience! I feel bad when I don't update within a week or two, because I know how impatient I can be when I read a story. Thank you for your understanding! Rae will worry over every little thing tbh, poor little panic filled babe. I can't wait to introduce you to her team! Mostly, well, because she's introduced to her team in this very chapter, so I guess I'm not waiting... I eagerly await to hear what you think of her team mates! And her team leader ;))))

TheOneKrafter- One, which one were you hoping would be her teacher? She can't really be her own teacher after all, haha. Two, no I can't really see anybody in Konoha willingly doing that either... well, nobody in a position of power. I'm sure the majority of the civilians would be glad to see our blond little baby go. ): Three, yes! That is exactly what's going on. I've been hinting at it for a little bit now, and I'm trying to make it a little more known, so I'm glad you picked up on it. Little tidbits of her past life are starting to shine through. What could this mean for our little firecracker? Who knows... who knows indeed...

Blackdove Whitedove- thank you for your review! Naruto is always the best prankster, confirmed. People have been asking for Hana to be on Rae's team for a while now, considering they're close to being around the same age. It's most likely going to happen, but not quite sure just yet. We'll see later in this chapter I suppose.

Thank you for your reviews, and your patience! I'm so very glad I have such good readers like you guys, you're all so kind to me when life likes to kick my ass. Hopefully I got this chapter out soon enough for you guys for your amazing attitudes during my last tardiness.

Enjoy the chapter!))

* * *

The sun shone through the windows gently, warming up the already uncomfortable room, but it was not the heat that was making Rae sweat. Despite what she had thought - that the entire room would be chaotic with children grinning and shouting from the rooftops about their accomplishments - the room was as silent as the grave. There was the occasional noise of a chair scraping against the ground as a new child walked in and took a seat, but other than that, everyone was waiting with bated breath.

Rae was no exception.

She sat in a back row, off to one side of the mostly filled classroom. There were two seats to either side of her, as each desk contained three chairs and she sat in the center one, both other chairs beside her empty as no other child had come to sit with her yet. She didn't know whether or not she preferred it this way.

On the one hand, she could have some time alone to think - or, rather, mostly alone, as Umi had curled up and fallen asleep underneath the window to her side - about the things she's been through recently. It was silent and peaceful over on her corner of the room, and she stared down at the desk she was seated at in silent thought.

On the other hand, she really wouldn't mind having somebody to talk to.

Because there in her hands, with dark blue fabric that was considered the usual color for all shinobi, was a plate of metal with the Leaf insignia etched into it.

She ran her fingers over the smooth plate, surprised to find that the carved in symbol was smooth and edge free - whoever made them probably made it so that none of the fresh Genin could cut themselves on it accidentally. The plate of metal was cool to the touch despite the hot temperature of the room. She considered pressing it to her forehead in an attempt to cool down, but she decided against it, as it would dirty her hitai-ate, and isn't that odd? _Her_ hitai-ate.

She was a Genin now, a real shinobi.

The test had been laughably easy, so much so that she felt ridiculous about how much of a fuss she had made over it beforehand. Umi had even laughed at her when she told him how much of an idiot she had been acting like, then had promptly laid down and fallen asleep right on the spot because he didn't feel like making the short trip back home.

She ran her fingers over the metal once again, finding the metal both comforting and nerve-wracking.

The door to the classroom opened up and another few children walked in, carrying their new hitai-ates with them. The noise was nothing new by now, and neither was the sound of the children's nervous footsteps shuffling about to find a desk to sit in. The only sound that was new to Rae was the sound of a chair being scraped back right next to her.

Lifting her head to see who it was that came to sit by her, she found a familiar face.

Hana smiled down at her, holding up her hitai-ate with pride in her eyes.

"I saw you pass by in the hall with your hitai-ate, but you didn't say anything. You did pass, right? I mean, you didn't go and steal that from some other kid did you?" She asked, though it was obvious she was only joking. Rae allowed a small chuckle, but didn't feel the energy in herself needed to comment back. They both descended into silence once again. It didn't last for very long, as the other girl spoke up again.

"I wonder what team we'll get placed on."

Rae clutches the metal in her palms tightly. Yes, she'd already been informed that she would be placed on a team of four - three Genin and one Jounin.

It never really occurred to her how much she relied on the people she knew until now, when she was facing the possibility of being placed on a team of people she wouldn't know and she was feeling so _anxious_ about it. Like she didn't want to be paired with strangers. She wanted her friends and family to have her back in combat, not a bunch of children she didn't know.

She glanced back down at the hitai-ate in her hands, running her hands over the smoothed leaf, and she felt her brows pinch down.

She felt as though there should have been a different symbol on this metal plate.

* * *

Maybe another hour and a half passed by, with all the children waiting in bated breaths for their teams. More than a few other children joined the room during this time, each of them silent and nervous and wondering what to do next. Finally, after nearly a total of three hours of just sitting in that room, nearly fifteen minutes passed by without another child entering the room, and though none of the other children reacted to this, Rae sat up straighter in her seat, acutely aware of the fact that this must mean the testing was finished.

She felt someone stiffen next to her and glanced at Hana out of the corner of her eyes. Their eyes met briefly for a moment, and Rae knew that the other girl understood what it meant as well.

Maybe she was smarter than Rae had assumed, then.

Nothing but a moment later, the door creaked open, and Jounin shinobi started filing into the room. They all came in and formed two neat lines against the back of the wall with one line hiding behind the other so the Jounins back there weren't too visible, and at the very front of the line was the teacher from before - Iruka-sensei. He held a clipboard and looked down at it, beginning to start whatever speech it was that every class had to sit through before they were assigned to their Genin teams. So, clearly, this Iruka guy was not going to be one of the Jounin sensei, he was only assigning each team to their own senseis.

"Good afternoon! I'm sorry for the long wait, but there were many children who needed to be tested today-" there was a collective groan from the entire class about being called 'children', and though Iruka stifled a sigh, he continued. "-but the wait is finally over! My name is Iruka, though you all should know me from when I was testing you all through your exams. Those of you in this room were chosen because you had the capacity and ideal training to become a real Shinobi of the Leaf!"

His lecture continued on for another few minutes, talking about the Will of Fire and what it meant for each of the children in the room from this day onwards. Finally, after a short break to collect himself and take a breath in, he started calling out names - three names and then a pause, and then three more names. A team. He did this several times for several children and Jounin, until a name caught Rae's interest.

"Team thirteen! Hana Inuzuka, Keiko Shimizu, and Kazue Uchiha."

Hana grinned beside Rae, looking over at the albino girl.

"Looks like we're on the same team," she whispered.

The chair to the other side of Rae was pulled back without a sound, and a boy around Hana's age sat down in it. He was obviously an Uchiha - if not for already having heard his name, then for his looks. He had medium-length black hair that looked softer than it should be, and his midnight-coal eyes were trained forward to the front of the room instead of looking over at his teammates, like both Hana and Rae were doing. his face looked both serious and impassive, and Rae wonders how someone can perfect both those emotions at once - then again, she was best friends with an Uchiha, so it wasn't too new to her. The Uchiha boy was wearing classic Uchiha clothing - a black, high collared shirt with the Uchiha crest stamped neatly and perfectly on the back, a tanto strapped onto his back, and dark blue pants that were almost black. Everything else was the classic look of any shinobi, with his pants being taped off at the ends with white bandages, and wearing dark blue sandals on his feet.

Feeling the eyes on him, he turned his head and stared at the two girls looking at him - or, rather, glared at them would be a better description.

"What?"

Hana turned away and scoffed to herself, apparently unhappy with the third member of their team. Rae raised one brow, still staring on. She held out her hand.

"My name is Rae, nice to meet you."

He opened his mouth, about ready to deliver some rude intervention of some sort, before he paused and looked confused for a moment.

"Iruka-sensei said your name was Keiko Shimizu."

She shrugged, her hand still out for him to shake.

"Yeah, but I prefer to go by Rae. Being the heiress to the Shimizu isn't much fun, you know?" Even though she knew he wouldn't know what she meant, she still smiled, hoping to start out in his good graces. She knew very well how annoying a prissy Uchiha boy could be - cough cough, _Sasuke_ \- and she didn't want any of that on her new Genin team. It'd be nice if they could all start out well with each other, but judging my Hana's reaction to him, the two of them wouldn't get along too well.

A moment of hesitant silence goes by before he reaches out, grabbing her hand and shaking it firmly, even if he still looked a little pensive.

It didn't matter, she took this as a good sign. He didn't return her smile and he immediately went back to glaring at the front of the room, but at least he looked to be slightly more comfortable.

She looked back up at the front of the room as well-

-and her smile immediately fell into a scowl.

She jumped up in her seat and slammed one hand down onto the table, startling both her teammates. She pointed at one particular man at the front of the room.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

The corner of Kakashi's eye crinkled in a smile, and he held up one hand in a lazy salute.

"To be your sensei, of course," he explained in a tone that suggests it was obvious - which, really, it was considering he was one of the Jounin who had been led into the room, but Rae could still feel her soul being crushed in absolute _annoyance._

"Shimizu-san, please sit down in your seat!" Iruka immediately began trying to defuse the situation, and though most of the children and teachers were gone by now from being paired up in teams already, whatever was left of both sides of the room was staring at the two light haired people with wide, confused eyes. The man with grey hair smiled calmly beneath his mask, seeming for all the world as if he was happy to be here, and the little girl with the white hair looked just about ready to pull out ninjutsu on him.

She glared, still fuming for another moment, before she scowled heavily and plopped back down into her seat.

"He's not going to be _my_ Jounin-sensei," she whispered harshly under her breath, only her two teammates being able to hear it from her - at least she thought as much, though his grey eyes may have narrowed just the slightest bit when she muttered it.

Iruka sighed as she finally settled back down into her seat, then began calling out names once again.

"Team thirteen, you'll be paired with Kakashi Hatake-"

"DAMN IT!"

* * *

Hana was still laughing.

They were all sitting on the roof of the Academy building now, a story or two off the ground for this building was not very tall by any means, and the three Genin present were sitting in a somewhat deformed triangle - the Uchiha boy sitting at one end, Hana sitting in the center, and Rae sitting off to the other side, arms crossed and a deep scowl on her features still.

At this point in time, both of the other Genin present _and_ their newest Jounin sensei had told her to shut up. The Uchiha, because he was, of course, an Uchiha and wanted nothing more than the annoying sound of _happiness_ to die in a fiery pit of hell. Rae because, of course, the Inuzuka girl was laughing at _her misery_ , and she wanted to end it at once.

Kakashi, well, because he was just bent on destroying everybody's happiness, now, wasn't he?

Hana Inuzuka wiped a stray tear from her brown eyes, and immediately, both Kazue Uchiha and Rae both reached out and hit their knuckles on top of the Inuzuka girl's head, and she let out a loud squawk of protest.

"Okay, well," Kakashi starts, clapping his hands together loudly in order to gain their attention when Hana finally went silent for a moment, cradling her head in her hands gingerly. All three of the Genin turned to look at him, all with varying expressions on their faces.

Kazue with a firm but submissive gaze, recognizing Kakashi's higher rank and paying him the respect he believes the older man is due.

Hana, with a pained expression turned into a sour pout, angry that both her teammates had whacked her over the head.

And then, of course, Rae, who was very much trying to put to good use the information she had learned from little Sasuke about setting people on fire with looks alone.

To be fair, it wasn't that she really _wanted_ to set the man on fire, she just... got very frustrated when he was around. Perhaps it was his personality that did it to her, perhaps it was their clashing minds that couldn't get along, who knows? All she knew was that she was perfectly fine with the idea of never seeing him again, a though she had had when he hadn't 'accidentally' bumped into her in some random place again in so long. Yet, here he was, sitting in front of her with a hand on his knee and a mocking sigh passing his lips, telling them that he was going to be spending _every single day_ with her and her two newest 'friends' until they became Chuunin.

Which was in three months, she knew. She didn't know whether or not Kakashi knew about it as well, and she didn't know whether or not he would be up to letting them go into the Chuunin exams so early on into their Genin careers. She was, of course, ready for it by now, and even if she wasn't she could use the remaining three months to train her hardest. Then there was Kazue Uchiha who was, _of course,_ an Uchiha so he had been groomed and trained for this all his life so he should be ready for it as well. Hana... Rae didn't know what level she was at, at the moment. No matter, if both Rae and Kazue were ready for the Exams, then they'd just have to focus their time on getting Hana up to speed with the two of them.

"Before we begin anything, I want us to do some introductions!" Kakashi finally continued after his pause, making sure everybody was listening to him again.

"Introductions?" Hana asked, rubbing a small sore spot on her head from being whacked twice. Rae might or might not feel the slightest bit bad about it, now.

...No, she deserved it, for sure.

"Introductions!" Kakashi repeated in a more genial tone, straightening his posture just the slightest bit so he's not as slouched as before - though still slouched plenty, mind you. Did the man even know how to sit properly? "Tell us your name and age, the things you like, things you don't like, dreams, any goals for the future, things like that! We'll take turns."

He takes a small breath in.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake. It doesn't matter how old I am. I like miso soup with eggplant, and I don't like sugar. I don't have any dreams and I prefer not to share my goals."

The three Genin stared at the plain, nearly empty description of himself. That was it?

Kazue was, unsurprisingly, the first to well up and speak aloud.

"My name is Kazue Uchiha, I am twelve years old. I like to train and make my Clan proud. I don't like failing. My dream is to become a well known Jonin, and my only goal is to make myself worthy of the Uchiha name."

Kakashi sweat dropped a little bit about how many times the boy mentioned his Clan being proud, but he let it slide. Hana went next.

"My name is Hana Inuzuka, I'm twelve, too. I like my dogs and I like soft fur! I don't like bad smells," she faked a gagging noise for a moment, but swiftly continued her description. "My dream is to become the best animal medic there is! My goal... My goal is to become the best Clan Heir that I can be for the Inuzuka Clan."

Kazue glanced to the side of him, apparently only now realizing he had not one, but _two_ Clan Heirs on his team. Dear Kami, he'd have to work hard not to embarrass himself in front of these people, or he'd be ruined for life for sure.

All eyes turned to her, and Rae stifled a sigh. She took a breath in and began to start her own description.

"My name is Rae, I'm ten. I like sweets and I hate my Jounin sensei." Kazue looked abhorred and Hana looked curious but ready to laugh. Kakashi just put on a pleased smile. "My dream is to live somewhere far away from all of this nonsense in peace, and my goal is to reconnect with my family."

Everyone stared.

Moments of uncomfortable, tense silence roll by as Rae and Kakashi seemingly have a stare down. His eyes were narrowed and focused on her, seemingly seeing right through her words into the heart of her feelings. This goes by for another tense moment until he suddenly sighs, shuts his steel grey eyes, and puts on a friendly voice again, standing up and clapping his hands together in a gesture of joy.

"Well then! Meet me at training field Seventeen!"

And then he's gone in a poof of smoke.

Literally.

* * *

((A/N: So, first of all, I'd like to mention the greetings - I know it's very similar to the way Kakashi introduced everyone in team Seven, but I feel it's kind of important to notice the smaller details. For one, he didn't completely disregard every question like he does when Naruto is on his team, he actually answered two of them and left the more emotional touchy-feely stuff out of the way, something that is understandable from a boy who went through trauma a few years back, yes? Yes. Secondly, I know a few of you might not like the idea of Kakashi being Rae's sensei, but consider the fact that he _is_ in charge of keeping an eye on her, and considering he's a Jounin, he is eligible to take on a team.

That's about it for that.

If you have any other questions, let me know!

Question!: If you could have designed Rae's team yourself, who would it have been made of? Pick two Genin - either an OC or a canon character, doesn't matter to me - and one Jounin Sensei! Let me know why you would want them to be paired together!

Leave reviews, reviews are love! See you next time!))


	43. Interlude: Kenta

((A/N: I haven't done an Interlude in a while haha. The next actual chapter for this story is only about halfway done right now - roughly 2k words the last time I worked on it - but I felt pretty motivated to get out a small interlude before that one comes out.

I would just like to apologize profusely for my absences! I know I apologize about it a lot but wow… it's been six months since I last updated this story? What the hell me? School has kind of kicked my ass for a while, and then there was the health issues with my dad. Not to mention the trouble with my rats.. The youngest two are getting territorial and are fighting the oldest one and he got hurt ):

Things are a little tense at the moment, but it's also so much better than what was going on last time I updated. Also, my birthday came and went since the last update! Woo go me :")

I won't be replying to reviewers in this A/N because I usually reserve responses for the actual chapters themselves. This Interlude is mostly just about what's been going on with Kenta and how he's been doing recently. Let me know who else you want to be caught up on and I can make interludes for them as well when I don't have the motivation to work on actual chapters!

Enjoy!))

Kenta brought up a pale hand and swept his dark blue hair out of his face, staring forlornly at his now-shredded hair tie. Thankfully, his hair wasn't usually messy, so it did little more than flop in front of his eyes for a moment before he tucked it back behind his ears. It wasn't too upsetting, really, but he still raised his gaze and leveled a spine-chilling smile in his Genin team's direction.

They all blanched at the dark aura coming their way. Despite their terrified faces, they still took out their kunai and got into a fighting stance as a team.

Good, Kenta couldn't help but let a bit of pride shine into his scary grin. His team was no longer pushing and shoving at each other, and could finally work together when it really mattered - sometimes, anyway. At least they weren't pushing each other into danger anymore either, remembering their last D-Rank mission and how well that had gone.

Now, don't get him wrong, he may be proud of his team's willingness to work together at times now, but…

He looked down at the trio all whining and rubbing their sore spots after his brutal, quick retaliation. They hadn't stood a chance.

They still sucked, skill wise.

He let out a sigh, bringing both hands up this time to wrap his hair up elegantly into a neat, tidy bun, held together by the quick flick of his wrist that sent a small senbon needle into the heart of the bun. He chastises himself shortly for not bringing another hair tie, but he also considered it proof that his team was advancing.

Before, he'd never have even worried about looking at them while fighting, but now, they had managed to swipe a kunai in his direction, close enough to cut the tie right out of his hair. Indeed, it was impressive, and he felt no small amount of pride at knowing that his teachings were actually sticking to the young ones - despite being not too much older than them himself. Still….

"You better hope you didn't cut a chunk of my hair off," Kenta turned to his team. They were too exhausted from the days training to really fear his tone anymore, but they got the gist of the threat. Convinced they knew how he felt about the situation, he raises his hand in a simple wave, turning to go collect his kimono-jacket from where he'd left it before training had begun. The plain, metal chain shirt he wore underneath it was uncomfortable in the slightly chilly wind.

"Training is done for today, you're all free to go."

Though the trio grumbled out their thanks and good-byes to each other, none of them really made an immediate attempt to get up from the ground. He simply snickered to himself as he left the training grounds.

As the Genin squad was not made up of Shimizu Clan members, they were not using the Shimizu training grounds that Kenta had been so used to using these past two years, thanks to a certain heiress.

One he hadn't seen in a while now, actually.

His job as a teacher to his students was taking up most of his time these days. The last time he'd seen her, or many of her friends that she often dragged him around to meet, was quite some time ago. He briefly wondered how she was doing and what she was occupying her time with, then reminded himself that, as her bodyguard, it wasn't any of his business as long as she was alive.

But still… he couldn't help but let his mind wander.

((A/N: Oof another short one. I think all interludes will be pretty darn short, since it's just something to get me started up again maybe. Anyway, hope y'all can forgive my long absence. Hope you enjoyed this lil tidbit here!

ALSO- please keep in mind I have no Betas! I try my best to find and fix any mistakes I find in my stories but I was going through the story the other day and found several mistakes throughout the chapters(including one that said Rae let out a couch instead of letting out a cough and I thought of her just opening her mouth and spitting out an entire fuckin couch right then and there and I cried_. Let me know if you find mistakes, please! I try to fix them all!

Leave reviews, reviews are love!))


	44. Getting Started

((A/N: Here's the next chapter! I know it's been forever and a half since I last updated(actually it's been eight months since I last updated, I think, which is pretty much the same thing as forever and a half lol...) but I finally have brought out the next chappie for you guys. Honestly I don't know why y'all still read this story since I update once every 100 years... I have no excuses and I won't try to make one up, I'm just a bad author whoops. I'll try to do less of these beginning A/Ns so it wont be so long all the time.. Besides all of that, I hope you enjoy this one! Responses to reviews;

BlackDove WhiteDove- Thank you so much! My dad is doing so much better now. He actually healed up pretty well from the hospital and the surgery he got, but afterwards he had a little syncope(which is basically like passing out at random times but so much worse bc he passes out with his eyes open and just stops responding and it's terrifying?) but he's doing good now. Gotta give credit where it's due, I'm sure it's because of all of your guys' well wishes for him :") I also have some pretty good plans for the Uchiha cats/Rae's dogs mix :) I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Natzed202- Thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story thus far! And thank you so much for your patience. I swear, I don't deserve such patient readers haha. Y'all deserve better than my unmotivated writing self :")

Sazaleli- GASP! Plot twist? Nobody could have ever seen this coming... ;)))

Ori Heartlyng- Thank you so much! My dad is doing so much better than how he was during the last update. He's at home now and healed up pretty well. He still has quite a bit of healing left to do but he can get around with minimal pain now. Also I know you were wishing happy holidays during that review and I'm so, so, soooo sorry it took forever and a half to get this next chapter out...

Savage Kill- my dad is doing much better, thanks for the wishes!

Peccolias- I'm not gonna lie my dude I love your writing and your artwork so much and it just? means so much to me that you actually read my story? like woah... Your excited reviews kinda kickstarted my motivation to write this update here haha. Your feedback is really good, too! You have some pretty interesting theories about the story, and a few of them kind of hit close to my ideas whoops. I'm glad you like the story as it is now, though! I also feel kind of bad I've only used Rika in that one chapter so far, I actually do have future plans for her but I got carried away with Rae's training with the pups and all haha... You'll see more of Rika in future chapters! I look forward to your future reviews (:

ShortcakeX- Thank you for sticking with me! i will never let go of this story my dude, I really love it and I'm so devoted to seeing Rae's story through until the end, even if it'll take me ten trillion years to get there xD I'm glad you got into OC stories because of me! I have some stories that I absolutely adore, and I could share those with you if you're interested? There are so many good ones out there. (I especially recommend you go read Dragonfly by Peccolia, it's short and sweet with a bitter end that made me cry twice omg).

Bruh- Thank you so much! I don't ever mind somebody rambling in their reviews; it gives me such a stupid smile to see somebody genuinely excited to read my story!

ABle- My friend I can't just tell you what the final pairing of this story will be! That's a big no-no. You'll have to wait and see!

Now, on to the long awaited chapter! Hope you enjoy!))

* * *

It didn't take long for the trio to roll their eyes and follow their new Sensei's order.

The walk to the training grounds was mostly silent. Perhaps due to Rae's bad mood. Kazue and Hana both seemed to be picking up on the tension in the youngest member of their newly formed team, and either they weren't willing to ask why, or neither of them really cared. At this point, Rae didn't really care which option it was either.

For the most part, she didn't even know why she was so angry. Kakashi was annoying, yes, and he grated on her nerves _a lot,_ but there was no real reason to be angry at him. There was no proof that he was a bad Shinobi, he never really _hurt_ her, or even Jirouko in the short amount of time that he'd seen her younger brother. Perhaps it was just her anger getting the better of her, but no matter how much she tried to rationalize how dumb she was being by being angry at him for seemingly no reason, she just kept getting more and more angry at his smug and almost child-like attitude. He wasn't even that much older than her!

...Okay maybe he was a _few years older,_ but that's really besides the point...

So the trio of newly minted Genin made their way to the training grounds silently. They started out walking, but at some point Kazue had mentioned that it might be best to meet him there sooner rather than later, and though Rae rolled her eyes - she just knew that Kazue would end up being a kiss ass for Kakashi - they all began running to the grounds to meet their new Sensei.

It didn't take long, despite the trio not even knowing where the exact training grounds were. Apparently Kazue had already unlocked his Sharingan, which wasn't much of a surprise considering how harsh some of the Uchiha could be on potential fighters in their clan. His eyes were a bright and vivid red, just as strikingly capturing as any other pair of 'all-seeing' irises, and they led the way for the group. Soon enough, they arrived at the scene, finding the grey-haired man already there. He was leaning against a thick log sprouting from the ground, one hand in his pocket, the other fidgeting with something small. It was too small to make out from the distance they were at. As they got closer, slowing their speed to a slow run, then to a jog, and finally ending with a simple walk up the older Shinobi, he stuffed the small item away in one of his various vest pockets.

He held Rae's eye for just a moment before turning away.

"It took you all long enough to get here!" He said cheerily with a clap of his hands. Despite his cheery tone, there was a bit of a darker undertone to his words. Kazue straightened his back instinctively and Hana clasped her hands behind her back and put a nervous smile on. Rae rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Were they stupid enough to think a Jounin shinobi would really hurt Genin, fresh out of the academy? It was obviously just a ploy to grab their attention. Stupid enough, even if it was working.

The small moment of silence was broken by Hana. She spoke in a nervous tone at first, but quickly found confidence in her words and spoke more freely.

"So, what are we going to learn today, Sensei? Are we going to start in Taijutsu first? Because I could use some help in that area-"

Kakashi put one hand up in the air, silencing Hana quickly.

"My, you're so excited to learn more! You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, don't you think? After all," he pauses for dramatic effect - which may or may not have worked. Rae finally turns her attention to the grey-haired man, curiosity getting the better of her as she wonders what he'll say next.

"You haven't even graduated yet."

Nobody says anything at first. Kakashi's slate grey eye flits back and forth between the three young children in the clearing, almost as if he was looking for a specific type of reaction. However, he clearly wasn't expecting the reactions he got.

Kazue sighed, shutting his eyes as if he had expected this all along. Hana crossed her arms and lifted a brow at her Sensei, waiting for him to continue. Rae looked just as indifferent as before.

Kakashi sniffed.

"Well, fine, be that way," he muttered to himself sadly. He let out an annoyed sounding sigh and reached into his back pocket, rustling around for something as if his pocket was deep enough to lose something in there. Rae watched him curiously, as did Kazue, who still had his sharingan activated and now focused on the man's moving hand. Hana looked less than impressed.

"Look, whatever, if you don't take these back then you don't graduate."

At that, Hana nearly did a spit take - despite not having been drinking anything in the first place - and Kazue nearly stumbled on nothing. Rae herself even felt apprehension at his words, but she did her best not to show it outwardly - though she knew she failed, knowing that she had tensed and her blue-red eyes had widened at the news. Instead of the others' obvious reactions, she simply clenched her hands hard enough to feel the bite of her nails in the palm of her hands.

"Oh, _now_ you react," he muttered to himself again. "Let me explain the rules, and - turn those off please - let me explain the rules before you all start crying." Kazue's face turned a vibrant shade of red as Kakashi asked him to 'turn off' his sharingan, but obliged with the request nonetheless.

"Listen-" He bends down slightly and takes a leap into the air, jumping several feet off the ground and landing on top of the wooden log he had been leaning against just moments before. Both hands are freed of any objects still, having not even pulled anything out of his pocket yet, and he folds them in front of himself, looking over each of the three Genin with a holier-than-thou attitude in his eyes. "You think the three of you can just skate past on whatever flimsy pat on the back you're given when you 'graduate' the academy?"

Rae wanted to point out that, yes, that's exactly what she thought, but she stays silent.

"Do you think you're prepared to fight now? Just because of a shiny metal plate somebody else gave you?" He doesn't even reach into his pocket again, but suddenly there is a Hitai-ate in his hand. No, there were three hitai-ate in his hand. Understanding dawned on all three of the fresh Genin at once, patting their pockets where their bands of cloth and metal had been stored away moments before.

 _When had he...?_

His one silver eye narrows dangerously dark, and he mutters under his breath loud enough to be heard but low enough to be chilling, "If you want them, _truly want them_ , come get them back."

And then he goes quiet.

Kazue is silent, eyes narrowed but sweat building up on the side of his face as he glares in obvious apprehension.

Hana is silent, eyes wide and mouth agape as she stares in a nice mixture of awe and fear.

Rae, too, is silent. Her eyes, wide at first, narrow as she breaks from the spell of fear - _was that killing intent he had been leaking? Was that legal to use on a child?_ \- and she takes one step back. Kakashi's eyes are on her in an instant, but she moves before he can get a clear idea of what she's doing.

Or so she'd thought.

Maybe the fact that the Genin test had been so easy had made her feel so at ease that she honestly had just underestimated a decorated Jounin shinobi, somebody who had fought in wars. She moves fast, faster than she'd ever moved before in her training sessions, but there isn't even a poof of smoke by the time she reaches the log. She didn't see him move, and she doesn't see him crashing down on top of her from above.

But Kazue does, sharingan ablaze once again, and he yanks her back before Kakashi can fully crush her into the ground. A wheeze escapes her throat as her back hits the ground, and she can see the sky and the backs of her teammates' heads before everything is moving again.

 _Kazue was fast, too -_

Rae swats at his back, hitting the Uchiha clan crest right in the center as she shouts, "Put me down!"

She hadn't even realized when he had picked her up and started running, or the fact that Hana wasn't here with them.

He moves further away from the small clearing, nearby some trees, and he finally lets her down rather rudely onto the ground after she slaps his crest again. He turns to her, eyes still an agonizingly bright red, and he whispers harshly,

"Are you daft?!" Who even says 'daft' these days anymore? Such an old-person thing to say.

She wants to pout at him for insulting her, but she reminds herself that this isn't another training session - technically. She didn't think Kakashi would really hurt or kill them, of course, but this was more serious than training up for the Genin exams. If she didn't get her hitai-ate back, she would fail. She would go back to the Academy. Would people laugh at her for failing? Would they look at her with pity, understanding that a girl two years younger than the other children would fail?

She takes a deep breath in, letting it out shakily. She loosened the tension in her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she whispers. He was right, even if he had only really insulted her. She acted recklessly and attacked without recognizing the fact that she has a _team_ now, people to count on. She'd been training with her pack for so long now, she should know how to work with others well, even if they weren't the people she was used to. She looks back up at Kazue, his eyes still red but less harsh as before, recognizing that she was smart enough to realize her mistakes.

"Where's Hana?" She asks. Kazue nods once, looking around. His eyes had two tomoes in them, she notices. His eyes weren't fully matured yet, then, and his actions and movements wouldn't be as smooth or as easily flowing as Itachi's. That might be hard to work with for her, considering she was used to Itachi being faster and more graceful than her, she might immediately think the same of him. It would take a bit of training to get used to him.

Kazue leans in closer to whisper, "I left her behind knowing that she would be able to catch up with us using her sense of smell. She is about twenty feet from us, South." He looks around once more, a cursory glance at their surroundings. "I don't see Kakashi-sensei."

She opens her mouth to respond, looking around as well, as if she thought her eyes could see better than his sharingan could.

"Right here," a voice whispers straight into her ear. Kazue snaps around, tanto in hand - oh yeah he had been wearing a tanto strapped to himself this whole time, hadn't he? - eyes blazing bright for a fight, and Rae turns around -

Her side collides with a tree well over ten feet away before she can even see how he hits her, or what happens next.

"SHIMIZU-SAN!" She hears Kazue yell after her.

There are so many things she wants to say from that yell alone. She doesn't like to be called by that name, it's too formal. She wonders why he suddenly starts referring to her as "-san" instead of "-sama", not that she minded much. And why the hell had she been punted across the clearing in a split second and he was still standing long enough to shout after her?

Being a little biased there, Kakashi...?

She coughs, holding down vomit from the nausea of suddenly moving at a speed fast enough to _crack the wood with her body._

She looks up from between the curtains of her messy white hair, the whole thing having come undone from the ponytail in that one move. Her eyes, blue and speckled with red, narrow in fury. Kakashi is just standing there, staring at her almost lazily while he holds a panting Kazue in a chokehold, the boy's feet tangled up in Kakashi's as he holds him down expertly. He doesn't even budge when Kazue kicks and thrashes like an animal.

He speaks up again when Kazue holds still, panting, his black hair in his face and blocking his view of his surroundings.

"Your enemy will not wait for you to know where they are. They won't warn you when they're coming. They will strike when they have the opportunity to," he narrows his eyes, releasing Kazue. Before he can hit the ground from being let go, Kakashi pulls a fist back, braces, and punches forward. Kazue lands just a few feet away from where Rae lay by a shattered tree and Kakashi vanishes, words trailing behind him like a curse.

"And they will disappear as quickly as they appeared."

" _Be ready._ "

Rae takes in another few shaky breaths of air, calming the pit in her stomach, and crawls over to Kazue to pull him upright. He doesn't struggle to get up as much as she did, and she wonders if it was because he was better at taking a hit than she was or if it was simply because he wasn't hit as hard as she had been. She narrowed her eyes, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. She looks around for a moment, waiting for him to finish patting off the dirt from his black outfit, before she looks back at him, focused and determined.

"We need to find Hana."

* * *

((A/N: My aim here is to make it obvious how Kakashi is different in these years than he is in Naruto's Genin years. He's more ruthless here, being rather fresh out of a war and still dealing with the loss of his comrades. Yes, he kicked Rae into a tree ten feet away, and yes he punched Kazue just as far, but... well, at least he wasn't using his full strength haha...

You may have noticed that this chapter is shorter than the others before...

or maybe you didn't notice, I don't know. It's 2.5k words, without the A/N. Anyway, I think one of the biggest things that's keeping me from updating regularly is that I try to hold myself up to the 5k words in every chapter idea, which just makes the writing less fun and makes it feel like a job. Nobody likes to do a job that they don't even get paid to do, so I'm cutting that whole promise out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be posting 500 word chapters from here on out, but most of my chapters might end up being only 2k-3k words, or maybe even longer depending on how much motivation I get. I just figured having regular 2k chapters are better than having one 5k chapter every ten hundred years lmao.

Thank you so much to everyone who is still sticking with my story even after all this time. Things are going to move slow for a few chapters as Rae gets used to her new team and starts doing missions, but soon after her first C-class missions, things will move quicker and we'll be having bigger time skips so things get going.

No question today, sorry!

Ciao!))


	45. A Dog's Eye View

((A/N: Hello and welcome back to The Higher We Climb! Thanks for not giving up on me yet! I'm going to keep this A/N short because I know a lot of you must be tired of those hella long apologies. Instead I'll just skip straight to review responses, and then the chapter.

GeneralPanda the Chibi - Yeah it is! The owner of Rika let me borrow her for my story! I know we've only seen her once so far and it was just a passing by, but I intend to use her more in this story! I have a lot planned for her character. In fact, she's going to be coming back in just a few chapters, after I'm done with team bonding with Rae's new team.

readthishit - Thank you! The medical issues with my family are completely gone by now so it's all good. The only thing I'm busy with these days is school, so I have more free time and lots of less stress. Concerning the story, you kind of see how Kakashi is a bit different in this chapter. Hopefully I made it clear that he's still dealing with his PTSD and he's also a lot tougher and meaner than he is in the show because of it. You'll see more of his personality changes in future chapters! Also concerning Rika, read the response above to learn when she'll be coming back!

sleepycatgirl - I was about to say 'Rae is gonna go prematurely white because of the stress' but her hair is already white. She was born stressed. Thank you so much! I'm always worried I don't get Kakashi right, and then I have to remind myself that this isn't the same Kakashi from the anime because he's younger, so I give myself some room to flex. And you're dang right she's gonna adopt Kiba too. What kind of big sis would she be if she didn't adopt literally every child she came across? I won't stop playing with your heart, it's a lot of fun (: I have decided on a name for her younger brother as well!

Dannyphantom619 - thank you!

This chapter is from Kakashi's point of view the entire time, which is why I chose the title for it to be Dog's Eye View lmao

* * *

For maybe a second or two Kakashi thought to himself, ' _maybe I hit her too hard_ '. Then she looked up at him between the curtains of white hair framing her face, her eyes narrowed and cold and dangerous, and he decided that, no, he probably hadn't hit her hard enough.

She was a tough girl with a tough heart, and if she wanted to make it anywhere near being a real shinobi, she'd have to get tougher.

Kakashi mulled over this from the tree tops after vanishing from the two kids' views.

He hated how soft Konoha had become already. He didn't enjoy violence or war, in fact he hated it quite a bit - _purple marks, brown eyes, red blood_ \- but in these few years of what the people considered 'peace', they had become soft and deluded. Deluded into thinking that it would last, and that they were finally safe from the threat of another Shinobi War. He'd lived through the last one, against all odds, the only one on his squad to survive it.

It hurt. Too much.

He didn't want these children to feel it too. He didn't want anybody else to have to go through what he suffered through, but…

Such is fate. He had no choice in the matter.

He jumps from his spot in the trees, a kunai whizzing right past his head. He knew he hadn't hidden himself completely within the leaves - he wanted to make this hard, but not impossible for them. Then again, all three of them were sensor-types. One with a summoning contract with dogs, one with the sharingan almost fully matured, and one with a summoning contract with the desert coyotes.

Speaking of…

A flash of white hair, moving too fast to follow, moving through the trees to chase after him. His lone grey eye narrowed. His other, hidden under his hitai-ate, opened, and he saw right through the mess of a genjutsu. It was sloppy. If this was the best the Uchiha child could create, he needed to work harder.

He didn't dispel it right away. Jumping away at another fake strike from the genjutsu child, he landed on a tree branch a few feet away. She stood there, staring at him with her blue-red eyes. He almost wanted to laugh. The real deal would have more of a glare to her eyes than that, especially when facing against him. The Uchiha kid would have to get to know his teammates a lot better in order to make more accurate illusions of them.

He crouched low to his branch, one hand hovering just above the dark brown bark, ready to push off in a moments' notice. The illusion copied him, ready to give chase.

One second of tense silence, then two, then three, then-

Kakashi turned on his heel, one hand grabbing the Uchiha boy by the collar of his shirt and the other hand reaching up to finally dispel the genjutsu. Kazue Uchiha looked shocked, but quickly let his face cool into an impassive look, a sense of focus in his red eyes that Obito never seemed to get quite right -

Kakashi caught himself from the train of thought, but too little too late.

"Now!" Kazue shouts, grabbing onto Kakashi's hand with both of his in order to keep him still in that spot.

Two sounds behind him. One, a set of paws leaping up into the air. The other a familiar voice shouting as she rushed at him. It was the Inuzuka girl and her companion dog.

When had they regrouped with Hana?

No matter. Kakashi let his eye droop, as if already bored with this scenario. Did they think they could ambush a Jounin shinobi? A sensor and a hunter, at that? He'd known they were coming for at least the last five minutes.

His hand grasped between the Uchiha boy's hands flexes just the slightest - his grip changes from the collar of the boy's shirt to his throat. His red eyes widen slightly and he grips Kakashi's hand more forcefully, but Kakashi is careful to squeeze just hard enough to get a good grip, nothing more than that. With his other hand, he reaches out to grab at the Inuzuka's dog. Not only was it closer to him than the girl herself was, but he also knew that Hana was no good at Taijutsu and would be no match against him if she got close to him.

How sad is that, when a shinobi's dog is more threatening than the shinobi?

Grabbing the dog by the back of the neck - he'd practiced plenty of fighting against his own dogs and knew where to grab to not hurt the poor pup - he turned, ready to toss both of them. With the trajectory and aim, Kazue would be launched straight at his Inuzuka teammate, knocking them both down out of the trees, and the dog would be launched into a pool of water a few feet away. A safe landing for the dog, and a safe landing for the children if they could untangle themselves fast enough.

Before he could put this plan into action, however, he pauses mid-turn.

Ah.

There she was.

Kakashi looks up directly above him and sees a pair of blue-red eyes approaching at high speed. He narrows his eyes. It's the real deal this time, not another shabby genjutsu, and he briefly has to give these kids a round of applause. Both of his hands were full, an enemy behind him ready to move in at a moments notice, and an enemy above him coming in with some admittedly good taijutsu moves.

"Mah, say," he mutters in an almost bored sounding tone of voice, something he knew would make the albino girl angry. He turns, finally upping the ante, at a speed too fast for the kids to handle. Instead of his earlier plan, he simply tosses both the Uchiha and the dog at the Inuzuka. Her brown eyes go wide and she flails as she's hit with the full brunt of two of her three teammates - counting the dog as a comrade, of course - and they all fall to the ground wailing.

He turns again, his lone grey eye narrow and piercing as he moves, ready to aim a kick directly at the center of the girl falling towards him.

"You weren't actually trying to _hurt_ me, were you?" His voice is heavy with sarcasm and a hint of fake hurt, as if the idea of the girl attacking him was hurtful to him. She scowled at him and he knows he is making her angry - something incredibly easy for him to do. He knows her fighting style, after watching her for so long as ANBU Dog. He knows how she reacts to kicks aimed at her center. He knows she will attempt to block it with her hands, and will bring one knee up to protect her lower body.

She doesn't.

He's honestly caught off guard when she turns her body, her flexibility allowing her to simply fall right through his defenses as he misses his target entirely. One leg high up in the air from the kick and the entirety of his body now unprepared for her next attack, she twist mid-air, using one hand braced against the bark of the tree trunk to turn and put some serious force behind her own move.

She lashes out, kicking just below his knee on the leg holding up his body. It hurts, her kick is strong, and it knocks him forward. He doesn't want to use his sharingan - _his sharingan?_ \- in this fight, doesn't want to make it too impossible for her to fight back, but as she rears up again, not giving him even a second of breathing space to calculate his next move, he decides that maybe she's doing better than he expected her to do.

Maybe she's tougher than he thought.

She turns and twists again, another kick, aimed directly at his throat. She was ruthless in her tactics, but Kakashi moves too fast this time. He catches her foot before it can make contact with the skin of his throat, the blue sandals digging into his palm uncomfortably. He leans down and grabs at her half-skirt with his free hand.

She was wearing the tights underneath it so he didn't feel too weird as he yanked it up, pulling her entire body with the cloth. He pulls her up, briefly notes the look of both surprise and embarrassed anger on her face, and turns to lash another kick out at her. This time she finally reacts the way he had expected her to, hands brought up to block it and one knee up to protect her lower body.

He kicks her in the side, though, not aimed at her center, and she's thrown to the side from the force of the kick. She hits the thick trunk of the dark brown tree they stood on, hard enough to force a gasp of pain from her as she connects with the tough wood.

She glares at him again, her eyes narrow and dangerous. His own eye widened in surprise.

Killing intent wafted off of her in small bursts. It wasn't enough to be noticeable, and the only reason he could feel it was because of his activated sharingan under his hitai-ate. Kids that young… should not be able to use killing intent.

The last time he'd felt killing intent from a child…

He is distracted again, and he doesn't move in time to block the punch she aims at his sternum. It connects, and though his thick vest protected him from most of the damage, he knows it's hard enough of a hit to bruise. That would hurt. Sternum bruises were the worst.

Before he could lash out with an attack of his own, she turns and leaps away. The other two kids and their dog were already gone. He'd never even noticed they didn't bother coming back to help her with the fight.

They had that part planned from the start. To leave their strongest teammate to fight the enemy alone while the other two…

He felt his belt, a mix between anger at himself and bewilderment at his students clear on his usually stoic face. He looks up at where they disappeared, seeing no trace of them anymore. They moved fast.

The other two grabbed the hitai-ates and escaped.

Kakashi lets himself fall down to the thick trunk of the tree, connecting a little too roughly and sending an ache of pain through his chest. He winced and rubbed at his chest where she had hit him. The ache is dull compared to the ache in his heart, and he rubs at his chest a little more forcefully, staring down at the grass and leaves below him.

Why now? Why think of them now?

* * *

They were waiting for him in the clearing, having gotten there long before he had. His chest burned with every breath he took in and it ached with every step he took. He made a mental note to complain to whoever designed these vests. They did _not_ do well against ten year olds.

He put his hands in his pockets and walked casually, pretending the action didn't cause his chest to thump painfully as he took a deep breath in. It was definitely going to bruise.

"Aah," he sighed out, as if he was perfectly fine with losing to three children. "I guess I lost!"

Kazue Uchiha huffed a breath out, bringing his hand up to brush some stray black locks of hair from his face. He was dirtied and his outfit was covered in filth. He'd probably go home and wash up right away.

Hana Inuzuka held a proud grin on her face, just as dirty and covered in filth as her male teammate was. Her hands on her hips, she looked like she'd just won the lottery. She looked proud to be on the team she was on. She probably couldn't wait to go home and share her victory with her family.

Rae Shimuzu looked… surprisingly blank. There was no clear emotion on her face, no anger at seeing Kakashi and no pride in winning against him. It looked like she spent too much time around Uchihas and was mimicking their impassive look.

He held his hands up, grey eye closing.

"I hold to my word! Uchiha, Inuzuka," he called out, each of the two named kids focusing on him when they heard their names being called. They seemed a little ticked off at only being referred to by their last names, but neither of them spoke first. "You two pass the test."

They both look proud at that. Hana's grin widens and she jumps up in the air, pumping a fist in excitement. Kazue was the first to notice what was wrong. He turns, facing his new, _official_ Jounin sensei.

"What about Rae-sama?" Rae looked torn between smiling at him for the use of her preferred name, or looking concerned at her own fate. Kakashi smiled genially, a glint to his grey eye that none of the children could really place.

"I hold to my word," he simply repeats himself. He turns to walk away. "Rae, let's go." He doesn't bother to check to make sure she's following him. He hears her stutter in place for a moment, her teammates mutter something to her, and then her footsteps are chasing after him to catch up.

For a while, neither of them speak, even as they keep walking. Kakashi doesn't really know where he's going, he doesn't have a destination in mind. He just walks out of the clearing and begins walking down the roads of the village. The younger girl trailed a few feet behind him, keeping a respectable distance. He notices that she is hesitant to speak first, all the anger from earlier seemingly having vanished into a wary respect for a higher ranking shinobi.

Kakashi looks up at the sky as he walks slowly, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

It had been pretty early in the morning when the genin had all been gathered into teams of three, and it had been just a little later than that when his little group had formed up at the training grounds. Now, however long it had been later, the sun was still barely up in the sky. Most of the people who were up by now were shinobi, children at school, or the shoppers who were eager to get the first deals of the day.

He narrows his eye at the blue sky above him, wondering.

How long had it taken for them to take the hitai-ates from him? Barely any time had passed at all. Less than an hour, for sure. How easily had it been to beat him, just because he'd gotten distracted and thought of things that weren't there anymore?

He wants to beat himself up about it.

He looks down at Rae.

She was focused on the ground as she walked, tapping her fingers against each other nervously. Kakashi had noticed that her coyote companion from earlier had been doing the same thing, tapping his paws against each other when he was waiting for his summoner to return. A small smile curves on his face at the thought of her learning her behaviors from the coyotes. Soon enough he'd have another Manabu-san running around, all feral grins and actual howling.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"Did I fail the test? Am I really going back to the academy?"

Her voice sounded so dejected and small, he actually felt a little bad for telling her that she would be going back to the academy if she didn't grab her own hitai-ate. He looked forward and heaved a heavy sigh, shutting his grey eye in thought.

"I haven't made up my mind yet."

She looks up at him, still a little nervous but mostly curious by now. Kakashi sighs again, hating having to explain this every time. It should be common sense.

"A shinobi who abandons the mission is trash," he states plainly, still looking up at the sky above them. He'd gotten very good at not watching where he was looking over the years, thanks to his love of reading while walking.

Rae is silent for a moment, then quietly responds,

"A shinobi who abandons their team is worse."

He wants to smile and cry at the same time. She's right, of course. He had expected for her to say something along those lines. She was so similar to _him_ , personality wise. So driven and dedicated to something that Kakashi couldn't see or understand. A little more angry, but a lot more focused. A good balance.

His heart aches again, and he looks down at her with a genial smile, hiding everything he really felt.

"Mn."

He sends her home with a wave, telling her that he wouldn't fail her. She gets excited at passing, angry at being tricked, and tries to kick him in the knee when he makes up some excuse like 'I just enjoy tormenting you too much to let you go'. Eventually she turns and goes on her way to her home. Her parents would no doubt be happy to hear of her passing the exam, and he knew her too well to think that she would sit back and wait for the Chuunin exams to come and go. She'd start training immediately, start training with her team in order for them all to get through.

He stares at the direction she walked towards, waiting a few minutes after she completely disappears from his view to finally turn and move. His hands in his pocket, he fidgets with his small book. He wanted to get it out and read as he walked to his next destination, but there was too much on his mind to really enjoy it.

He sighed heavily. Sometimes he hated being a shinobi.

He leans down, his knees nearly touching the ground as he crouches low, and he shunshins away to his destination. There's a rush of wind, a rustle in his hair, and then he's there. He brings his hands out of his pockets, but instead of standing, he places one hand flat on the ground and the other across his knee. He lets one knee rest on the ground.

"Kakashi-san," an all too familiar voice greets him. It is both a greeting and permission to stand. He does so at his own pace, not at all bothered to hurry. He wasn't wearing his mask or his outfit, and therefore he was no longer ANBU Dog right now.

Just Kakashi Hatake.

"Hiruzen-sama," he greets back genially. His hands go straight back into his pockets as he taps the balls of his feet against the ground, standing in place.

"How did the test go? Well, I assume?"

Kakashi lets out a 'humph', staring deadpan at the Third Hokage. They both knew that the man had to have been watching through his crystal ball, using the telescope technique to make sure everything was going smoothly.

The Third lets out a good natured chuckle, removing his pipe from his mouth and blowing out a stream of smoke. When he looks up at Kakashi again, the jovial mood is gone from his eyes.

"What else have you learned about her?"

"Straight to the point, huh?" Kakashi shifts his weight from foot to foot, thinking over his choice of words. After a moment of silence, he speaks up. "She's strong. Her taijutsu is good, not quite Jounin level but perhaps a little higher than basic Chuunin. Her Chakra reserves are stronger than any other Genin these days, and she's already in a summoning contract with a powerful summon family. She's got a Jounin Uchiha teaching her Fire release, a Jounin Shimizu teaching her Water release, and another Jounin Shimizu teaching her taijutsu on his off time."

Hiruzen hummed, thinking over the younger man's words.

"All in all," Kakashi surmised, "I think she's about Chuunin level right now. If she keeps training the way she's been training since coming back to Konoha, she'll probably be Jounin level by the time she's thirteen years old."

"But what about _her?_ How is her mental health? Does she still express strong desires to leave Konoha behind?" His aged brown eyes narrow in thought. "Does she express desires to _hurt_ Konoha?"

Kakashi thought for another moment. This conversation was getting dark fast, but it couldn't be helped. A child was kidnapped in the middle of the night by unknown attackers, for unknown reasons. Nobody was killed in the process, and only the child's mother had been injured while trying to defend her daughter from the attackers. Then, that same child is found in Sunagakure of all places, injured and on the brink of death with amnesia.

That alone had been suspicious enough to nearly start a war against the Village Hidden in The Sand. Not for the child alone - but rather, the idea that the neighbouring Village would do something like that to one of Konoha's young leaves was just abhorrent.

Then she returns home, only for her to shun the village she once loved and say that they were her enemies for taking her away from her 'true home' in Sunagakure.

"There isn't much I can say about how she feels about Konoha right now. I only spent the time testing their skills as fighters and as a team, so we didn't get much talking done today. She may very well still hate Konoha and may wish to see it hurt."

Clearly not the answer Hiruzen wanted to hear - and who could blame him? Who would want to hear that they may have to torture a child for information? - he scowls, putting his pipe down on his desk as he stands. Taking one last glance at his crystal ball, black and void as it wasn't being used at the moment, he walks off to glance out of one of the many windows around the room. He is silent for a long moment, and Kakashi finally breaks the silence again.

"But," he interjects quietly, "She also seems to be making connections here."

Hiruzen doesn't respond, silently telling the young shinobi to go on.

"Her relationships with the Uchiha main branch remain familial, she's often seen bringing her younger brother around the village with her, she trains with other shinobi often in her free time, and even today, she worked flawlessly with two strangers in order to take down a tougher opponent. I can't say much about how she feels about Konoha right now, but that doesn't mean for sure she is our enemy."

Hiruzen takes a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the action. He's silent for another moment before asking in a quiet tone,

"And her relationship with Naruto?"

Kakashi starts. It was a question he hadn't been expecting, despite it making perfect sense. Naruto Uzumaki was the Jinchuuriki, the holder of the Nine Tailed Demon. He was a young boy, malleable and desperate for friends and attention. If the young Shimizu heiress really was an enemy, a _spy_ , then she already has Konoha's most powerful weapon in her pocket.

The Third Hokage had tried several times to sever that tie that the two children had with each other, but always to no success. At one point he'd even assigned some shinobi to act as regular citizens and get in the way of them hanging around each other, but every time they'd simply find their way back to each other.

Kakashi would almost find it adorable, if it weren't for the fact that it could mean the destruction of Konoha if she was who they didn't want her to be.

"I am…" He hesitates, unsure of how to continue. "I'm not familiar with their relationship with each other. The curtains are always drawn and the door is always shut when she goes to his apartment, and they don't hang out in public very often due to the public's view on Naruto. If I wanted to know the extent of their relationship, I'd have to be able to be there in person with them."

"Then do it," The Third orders without a second of hesitation. "Naruto Uzumaki is perhaps the most powerful person in this village, and the power he contains within himself can not be taken by an enemy, no matter the face they hide behind."

Kakashi wanted to intervene. He wanted to tell the Third Hokage that Rae really didn't seem like a bad person - she really just seemed like a lost girl, far from what she considers home.

He'd vouched for the wrong people before, though, and so he simply nods, knowing the Third Hokage knew his answer already, and disappears.

It's time for some team bonding.

* * *

((A/N: Hello! This chapter is actually 4.5k words long without either of these authors notes, so it's not even as short as I'd thought I would be writing. I just got so motivated to write this for some reason and wrote it in like an hour and a half.

I DID read over it before posting it, so hopefully there aren't any mistakes in here! Let me know if you do find any though, because I don't have a Beta for this story!

Thanks for sticking with me in this story. Things will start picking up soon, something that I'm excited to write about. A few old faces will be coming back, some that you guys wanted to see and some you probably completely forgot about already.

I also want to clear something up - Rae and her team did not beat Kakashi because they were stronger than him! I want to show how powerful she is, but she is NOT stronger than a Jounin right now, especially one like Kakashi. If Kakashi had really been trying, he would have won for sure. However, he got distracted twice because of his PTSD(remember he's much younger here than in the show, so those wounds are still rather fresh on his mind), and that's why he lost.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Ciao!))


	46. Nightmare

((A/N: Hello! Here is the next chappie. Gonna go into the review responses and then jump straight into the chapter. As I said, trying to cut back on the super long A/Ns.

Guest - You made some good points. First of all, it actually was a mistake that I said they grabbed the bells and not their hitai-ates that he took from them, so I went back and fixed that. Thanks for pointing it out! I only gave Hana one dog instead of three, for the same reason I only gave Rae one coyote and not all seven. I just figured it would be a little unfair, so I cut down on their extra help. And I know I didn't write this into the story so it makes perfect sense that you're confused on it, but I imagined that Rae already sent Umi back after she took the test, because that was the only part that she needed the support for. Again, thank you for pointing these things out to me!

Many. luzader - Thank you so much! Gah I need to go and reread my whole story from start to finish too so I can remember every little detail I put in for future reference. Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

DannyPhantom619 - thank you so much! Surprisingly enough, I don't think I've ever got a flame on this story! I've gotten criticism, but it was all polite and nice stuff. I really am so lucky to have such nice reviewers!

Readthishit - He didn't necessarily let them take the bells, more along the lines of his PTSD distracted him enough that they were able to take it from him without him noticing. If it had been a real fight, they would have lost for damn sure. I wasn't planning on making him scold them for that, as I tried to make it clear in the last chapter but if I hadn't made it clear I apologize! But basically they all created a plan together, where Hana and Kazue would distract Kakashi while Rae came from above, then she would distract him because she was closest to his skill level with taijutsu, and the others would take a bell. Once she was sure they got the bells, she left. Once again, I apologize if I hadn't made that clear in the last chapter.

Kayumeee - I'm glad you love the forehead poke! It's one of my favorite features about Itachi's personality, not gonna lie. I'll probably write in a few more pokes before the fated night…

Sleepycatgirl - Thank you so much oh gosh! I pride myself on trying to be able to write characters as canon as I can get while still staying true to my own world and where they're at emotionally and mentally. It's not crazy at all to say that you like my writing! Referencing how you said you couldn't believe you missed the little details from earlier chapters - there is one sentence in particular in the last chapter that basically gives away a HUGE plot twist in the story (: It's just one sentence though and I'm not telling you which one. Thank you so much. Your review was honestly so sweet. And yeah, I can see that my writing style has changed quite a bit since I started this story, especially as I learn more about writing.

Thanks for all of your kind reviews! Hope you enjoy the chapter! It's a little darker than most, but oh well. The happy times have to end at some point, right?))

* * *

Rae sat in the center of her plush bed, her blankets all kicked off to the sides as she simply sat in silence. It was late now, already dark out. She'd eaten dinner with her father and Jirouko, full of simple conversation, awful jokes, and questions about training.

They'd also brought up the topic of Jirouko and his skill at speaking. He often spoke simple words like "no" or "bye-bye", but other than that he didn't say much. Kazuhiko stated that he wasn't worried, that she had been the same way and hadn't spoken much when she was younger. Perhaps Jirouko would grow into his words, then.

She crossed her legs over each other in her bed.

Speaking with her father, or just being around him in general, was getting easier and easier. It really seemed less like a group of strangers and more like a… dysfunctional family at the moment. Her father was actually being supportive of her now, although he is constantly worrying over how much she trains. Jirouko was the happiest little bundle of joy in the world, as always.

Jirou could stomp his feet now when he got upset, but he was still learning how to properly walk without falling over. At the moment he could probably run across the kitchen and living room before falling over and calling for someone to pick him up. Kazuhiko reminds her that, as much as she wants to, she can't go to his aid every time she wants to. He needs to learn to get up on his own again, not relying on her too much. She had wanted to get mad at him and tell him that he should be helping as much as he could, but Jirou had looked around for a bit, noticed nobody would come pick him up, and then simply stopped crying and stood back up on his own.

And then there was Emiko.

Rae hadn't even seen Emiko for a long while now. Kazuhiko assures her that she's doing fine, that he talks to her every day and makes sure she and the baby are both healthy and happy - she doubted Emiko was happy but she'd take his word for it.

At the time, Rae hadn't cared at all that Emiko had begun drawing away when she got back, but looking back on it now… It was odd. Emiko had no reason to act in such a way. Of course, her daughter had amnesia and was throwing a massive fit, but Kazuhiko handled it well so what made her draw away the way she had?

She didn't want to necessarily _fix_ her relationship with Emiko. Her relationship with her birth mother had probably been too severed at this point, and she no longer wanted to have a good air with her.

It was still unsettling, however, when Emiko would look at her like she was a stranger.

Rae sighed quietly into the dark room. Her blankets were soft, the bed solid enough to be comfortable, the temperature was a perfect balance, and she was full from a delicious dinner that her father helped make - and Jirou had tried to help with but he had just ended up throwing an egg on the ground - so why couldn't she sleep?

She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and shutting her eyes in thought.

There were too many things to think about.

Her father. Her mother. Her brother Jirou, and the brother to be born in a short amount of time. Her friend Itachi, whom she hadn't seen in a while either. All the young children she adored and who adored her back. Her new team. The chuunin exams coming up. Her first D-ranked mission would be in a day or so, Kakashi had told her and her team as much. She knew it would only have to do with menial tasks, like babysitting or pulling weeds, but she was still excited to accomplish any sort of mission as a real Shinobi.

There was also the idea that the Chuunin exams would be in Suna, and that if she and her team made it into the exam, she could go home… She could see them again.

She finally laid back, pulling her blanket up to her chin and curled in on herself on her side. Looking out of the dark window, her eyes slowly closed shut.

Too many things to think about.

* * *

 _Everything is dark, shrouded in fog. I feel damp, cool grass on my knees and arms. I'm crouching, or laying on the ground. It must have rained recently._

 _I can't see too far. The area around me looks like it could be a forest of some kind, but my head won't respond to the orders I'm giving it to look up, to look at my surroundings. It's as if I'm looking through somebody else's eyes, seeing and feeling everything for myself but being unable to control the body._

 _As such, the body I'm in - the eyes I'm looking through - began to move on their own accord._

 _I'm panting - or hyperventilating. Quick breaths come from my mouth - the mouth of the body I am trapped in. I look down at the ground, my eyes become blurry for a moment before I see drops of liquid falling onto the ground under me._

 _My hands are soaked in red._

 _These hands are small and pale, the hands of a young child - maybe seven or eight years old. There is blood on them, mixed with the mud from the damp ground._

 _There is a knife on the ground besides the red, red hands. Not a kunai, not a weapon meant to hurt. A kitchen knife, grabbed from the knife block in somebody's home. The blade, once silver and sharp, was coated in red, flakes of it falling off of the handle._

 _More tears fall, and the head turns to the left. There is another hand there, bigger than mine. It's on the ground motionless, attached to a pale, pale body that I can't see. Blue sleeves stop at the wrist, blood pooling around the hand, still spreading out as if the heinous deed done here had just happened. My hands do not feel warm, the blood on them cold and clammy._

 _More tears, shaking breaths. I feel like I'm going to vomit. My head looks away from the body, too terrified to look at its' face. I don't catch a glimpse of the person's face and I don't know who it is._

 _My breathing gets worse, quicker and shallower until I feel like I will pass out. I take in one deep breath, clutch my small pale hands into the red soaked ground underneath me, and I scream. I scream until my lungs ache and my throat burns. I scream everything I feel into the muddy, bloody ground, expecting the insects below to take my emotions. To take them from me so I don't have to feel them._

 _My scream comes to an end, and I take in another aching breath despite the protest from my burning lungs, but before I can scream again, I am interrupted._

" _My, my," a smooth, calm voice speaks. It's too familiar but not familiar at all. I want to scream again, too many emotions running through me - through the not me - to handle, all of it jumbling together into one big mess that I - we, it, you - can't understand._

" _Don't cry, little girl."_

 _My eyes turn to look, searching for the voice that I can't place. I see feet approaching, their footsteps soft and silent when they should be making noise. Shinobi sandals, grey-green instead of blue, wrapped up ankles, muted grey pants. Raising just a little higher, I see the ends of a yellow-tan cloth ending above the knees. I don't look any further, and I start crying all over again._

" _I can take the pain away."_

 _And I believe him._

* * *

Blue-red eyes shoot open wide, and for a moment Rae couldn't breathe. The image of the small, pale hands soaked in red and clutching at a kitchen knife were etched into her eyelids, and she was afraid to blink for a while. White-hot fear shot through her, and she didn't understand why. It was just a dream, just her twisted imagination. It couldn't hurt her.

She laid still in her bed for a while longer anyway. Unmoving, her face half buried under her blankets that now felt too hot, too itchy against her skin. The fabric was annoying.

She turned over onto her back, looking at the alarm clock beside her bed after a long while of uncomfortable silence.

It's three o'clock in the morning. Pitch black outside, darker than seemingly possible. She felt too hot, too cold at the same time. She kicked the blankets off of herself, too aware of every little scratchy sensation she felt on her clammy skin. She raised her hand above her face, staring.

It was too dark to see, her eyes unaccustomed to the darkness just yet, but she could see the outline of her hand in front of herself. When she couldn't make out the entirety of her hand, her mind filled in the blanks. Red, red hands filled her vision. She shut her eyes, inhaled deeply, and opened them again.

 _Red, red hands._

She let out a choked sob, clutching her hand into a fist to get rid of the image. She sat up, eyes wide and teary as she looked around her room with little to no vision in the darkness. Shadows everywhere, darkness with no solid form reaching out at her.

She grabs her blanket and wraps herself in it to the best of her ability, as if reverting back to the childish thought that a piece of fabric would stop the monsters from getting to her. Shaking and crying, she reaches her clenched fist up to her face. She bites down on her hand, a little too hard. She knows she doesn't need to draw that much blood, but she doesn't care at the moment. She can deal with the injury in the morning.

She reaches out and places her bloody, trembling hand against her bed sheets. A quiet whisper, a plea for help, and there is smoke filling the room.

It disappears, and Roba stands in its' place.

Rae hadn't even meant to summon him in particular. She'd wanted her summons to be there, to comfort her and to help her be rid of these imaginary enemies haunting her mind, but she hadn't had any of them in particular in mind. Her hand, bleeding from her own self-inflicted wound, clutches the sheets, her other hand wrapped around her knees as she stares up at the huge coyote with wide, fearful eyes.

 _Why had she summoned Roba?_

He doesn't look surprised, or angry for being summoned here in the middle of the night. He looked like he'd been expecting something like this. He lets out a gruff sigh from his mouth, shaking his large head momentarily as if shaking some dirt from his ears, then leans down to place his cold snout against her forehead.

"You wanted strength," he murmurs, answering her unasked question. "I can give that to you."

She doesn't stop the next tears from slipping past her lashes, crying quietly in the dark as she reaches up and holds onto the coyote twice her size. He doesn't stop her or tell her to let go of him, simply sitting down at the edge of her bed and letting her vent her fears into his fur. His fur, she noticed, was coarse and rough, and she couldn't help but think of all the blood that must have dried into his brown locks throughout the years.

"Why is this happening?" She asks in a meek, quiet voice. Roba almost wants to seem surprised, as he knew his new summoner had never been the quiet or meek type, but he isn't really surprised. He knew this day would come eventually. The day when any young pup had to learn the truth about bloodshed and war.

He knew it was especially hard for human pups to learn, as coyotes were taught the art of the hunt from a very young age and were never afraid to shed the blood of their enemies. Humans, he knew, were taught the opposite - taught that blood was something to be preserved, that life was special and meant to be protected during times of war and hardship.

"Were they my hands?" She asks in a shaky voice, no explanation following after for her question. "Did _I_ do that? Did I… kill somebody?"

He took a deep inhale through his wet nose, laying down beside the small girl. She really was so small once he looked at her from a different light, a different angle than the usual rough and tumble girl he'd met all those months ago. Her bed creaked with his weight, and she curled closer to him, seeking his heat and warmth.

"Everyone must learn," he began, his voice as gravelly and deep as the first time he'd spoken to her. "What it means to be a fighter."

She didn't look up at him, but he knew he had her full attention.

"You think of a fighter as someone who can defeat an enemy. You think of fighters as people who can win victories for their home and people, and can secure the safety of their loved ones. These qualities are important in a fighter, yes, but they are not what _creates_ one. What creates a fighter is their mind and their heart.

"Their mind, full of intellect and wisdom, is what tells them what is acceptable on the battlefield or not. I believe you humans call this _honor._ Their heart tells them how to handle the thought of what they do, or what they must do. Your heart tells you whether you can live with yourself after the deed is done."

There is a brief moment of silence as Rae digests this information, then he continues.

"If your mind tells you what to do and your heart does not agree, then you are _disconnected._ You are broken and torn. A fighter who becomes disconnected cannot continue to be a fighter, for their mind and their heart can no longer work together and they become unstable."

He leans down to press his nose against her cheek, something he hoped was a comforting gesture for a human pup. He may be a rough warrior with plenty of scars and bloody tales to show for it, but he was still a father of seven and knew how to comfort a pup in need.

"This, now? This is your path to choosing whether you will become disconnected or stay whole. If it was you who took a life, then your mind told you what to do. Whether your heart agreed or not, I do not know. I don't know what happened or the details around why you did it. I suspect that neither do you."

She shook her head silently, but she knew she didn't need to. He already knew the answer. Her eyes feel heavier the longer he speaks, his warmth surrounding her as she finds comfort in his words. She leans into him, closing her eyes. She doesn't miss his final words before she falls asleep again.

"It is your choice entirely where to go from here."

* * *

((A/N: Earlier today I sat down and just wrote out the whole storyline for this story. Plot, characters, twists, backstories, and all. So from now on I won't really be 'writing blind'. And boy oh boy, do I have some plans cooked up now that I know what I'm doing.

I'll be making small changes to previous chapters because of this. There were a few plot holes in previous chapters that I never noticed until reading it back now, so I'll be re-writing those. Nothing big will change so there's no need to go back and reread any of it, it'll just be small details to fix up some holes, spelling mistakes, or bad grammar.

Also, this story will be split into two parts. This first part - The Higher We Climb - is about her learning about herself and who she is. I will find a good place to end this story off at(probably a cliffhanger, let's be real here), then I'm going to make the sequel to the story called The Harder We Fall, which will start from where this story ends off. I have a planned ending, too. Anyway, sorry for the long ending A/N, but I figured I would share this.

Thanks for reading!))


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